


Piece by Piece

by the_fandom_bookworm



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Auror Harry Potter, Auror Ron Weasley, Complete, Death Eaters, Gen, Marauders, Multi, Return, back from the dead, return from the dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:49:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 63,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24409843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_fandom_bookworm/pseuds/the_fandom_bookworm
Summary: When Lily and James Potter wake up one morning, they KNOW something is off. Their street is riddled with Death Eaters and their house is in shambles. "This isn't a normal morning in heaven," they think. And soon they'd learn that they were right; in fact, it wasn't even a morning IN heaven. Some cosmic force had ripped them from their place among the stars and given them a second chance at life. But they soon notice that much has happened in their absence, especially to the ones they love. What will they find? How will they cope? Join James, Lily, and their friends and family on their journey to catching up with the times, with each other, and with themselves;piecebypiece.DISCLAIMER: I do not own ANY of these characters! There are no OCs present in this story and thus all characters belong to JK Rowling and the Harry Potter series.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks
Comments: 59
Kudos: 84





	1. One Summer's Eve

James Potter yearned every year for the end of the Quidditch season. Not because he disliked the sport; in fact quite the contrary was true. He loved the sport. He especially loved playing it; the wind in his hair, the thrill of flying meters above the ground, and the rush that came when he was able to pass the quaffle between his teammates or through one of the goalposts. No, he yearned for the end of the season because it meant that he could leave the pitch and the Cannons for a few months and come home to his own house and one of the two things he loved more than Quidditch; _Lily_.

That afternoon, after hours of commuting, James arrived at his doorstep. He smiled as he unlocked and pushed in the door. He took off his shoes and half-kicked, half-threw them to the side. The house was quiet; Lily was still at work. James sighed as he lugged his bags up to his bedroom, dropped them on the floor, and dropped himself onto the bed. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, running his hands along the soft blanket. He'd missed having such a large bed. Resisting the urge to fall into a nap, James pushed himself off and made his way into a shower; the nicest one he'd taken in months. When he was done he pulled on a pair of sweatpants, a tee shirt, and a light sweater and crawled under the covers. His stomach protested; it wanted food, but James was too tired to oblige. He was asleep in seconds.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lily Potter arrived home at 7:30 that night. Her day had been uneventful, which was normal; few Death Eaters or affiliates had died in 1981, making the year-bubble of the afterlife in which she and James "lived" rather inactive when it came to violent wizard crime.

_James_ , Lily thought, smiling. Right now he should be partying with his team; celebrating their 9th World Cup win since the 1981 League had started playing. She missed him, sometimes so much that it made her chest physically hurt; but she knew that he'd be home in a week at most.

Lily opened the door to her house and stepped inside. As she set down her keys and hung her coat on a hook, something caught her eye. There was a pair of sneakers on the floor beside her. They were too big to be hers. When she turned and locked the door, she noticed a second pair of keys resting on the small table beside it. That's when she realized...

Lily dropped everything she was holding and took the stairs two at a time. She stopped abruptly in the doorway of her bedroom and couldn't help but grin broadly as she took in the scene in front of her. James, _James,_ was curled up under the blanket on their bed; one arm out and clutching the covers. His face was relaxed; he looked like he was getting the best sleep he'd had in months. Lily wanted nothing more in that moment than to curl up next to him. She let out something between a relieved sigh and a quiet laugh. He must've heard her; his eyes opened and he stretched his long arms and legs. When he put his hands back under his head, he looked up and paused when his eyes met Lily's.

"I don't need my glasses to know who's standing in that doorway," he joked, still half asleep.

Lily laughed and crawled onto the bed; James sat up and they pulled each other into a tight embrace. Lily felt herself relax in James' arms as she rested her head on his chest. He smelled like broom polish and lavender shampoo.

"I missed you so much," James mumbled, burying his face in her hair. "I missed you too," Lily replied. Then she paused. "And not that I'm ungrateful," she began, "but aren't you still supposed to be out celebrating with the team?"

James grinned and softly put his hand on the exposed side of Lily's face. She moved her head so her eyes could meet his. "I wanted to be home," he said.

"But this is a World Cup win," Lily countered. "that's big!"

"It's number nine. The celebration is always the same. _I just missed you too much_."

Lily let out a small laugh and put her head back down. "I love you."

"I love you too."

The two stayed together for a few minutes until James' stomach broke the silence. He gave an apologetic smile. "Is it dinnertime?"

"Why not," Lily said, getting up. "I'm starving."

They walked downstairs and made a small dinner for themselves. While they were eating they took turns describing the past few months of their lives; James more enthusiastically than Lily. It didn't mean Lily disliked her job; being an auror meant the world to her. It just wasn't as eventful as professional Quidditch. Besides, she thought James was adorable when he talked about something he loved.

When they finished eating, James offered to do the dishes while Lily took a shower. Afterwards the two changed into pyjamas and crawled into bed together. They both fell asleep within minutes, tangled in each other and under the sheets. It was the best night that either of them had in months.

Little did they know what would be waiting when they woke up...


	2. Spot the Difference

Lily woke the next morning to the sound of her alarm. Reluctantly, she untangled herself from James' arms and slapped the button on the clock to stop the beeping. She pulled herself out of bed with the enthusiasm one shows when taking out the trash. Her movements stirred James; he slowly opened his eyes, stretched his limbs, and gave Lily a look that said "don't go."

Lily smiled apologetically at him. "I have to, I still have work."

James propped himself up on his elbows. "You can't take one day off? For me?"

That got a laugh out of Lily. "I'm sorry."

"You'll have to make it up to me later."

"We'll see." Lily changed into her work clothes and leaned down to kiss James on the forehead. "I'll be home around seven," She said, her hand lingering on his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too," He replied, and lifted himself up to give her a kiss on the lips.

Lily smiled and stood up. She left the room and made her way downstairs. But when she tried to turn on the kitchen light, it wouldn't work. _Weird,_ she thought, _I replaced that bulb last week._ She shrugged it off and opened the refridgerator to get a yogurt. Instead she was met with the combined stench of everything in the refridgerator having gone bad. Lily slammed the door shut and reeled backwards. _What the hell?!_

"Lily?" James called from upstairs, "everything alright?"

She didn't answer. _How could all of the food have expired? The oldest of it was bought only two weeks ago!_ Lily looked around the kitchen. The bread was moldy, but it wasn't the bread she'd bought on her way home from work earlier that week. Other than that, she noticed the kitchen counters looked different than how she and James had left them the night before. She tried to turn on every light in the kitchen. No dice. She tried to turn on the sink. No dice. She reached for the blender that had been left plugged in and instead her hand found... 

...a sippy cup?

Lily's world stopped. She hadn't seen or touched a sippy cup in years. She held this one up and studied it, recognizing it almost immediately as one that Harry drank out of. The though of Harry brought back even more memories. Her head began to spin. Thoughts flew at hundreds of kilometers an hour. She needed to sit down. _Why would Harry's bottle be out?_ _Why does my house look like it hasn't been touched in years? What's going on-_

"Lily?" 

Lily spun around to face James, who was now standing in the doorway of the kitchen. 

"Are you alright? I called from upstairs; you didn't answer."

All she could do was stare at him.

James' face was twisted with concern. "Is something going on?" He began to move closer. "The lights aren't working, something in here smells _awful_ , and you're just standing here holding..." His face fell when he saw the sippy cup. "Where did you find that?"

Lily regained some of her senses. "It was on the counter."

"What?"

"I don't know, it just was." Lily paused; she still wasn't fully present. "All of our food has gone bad."

"I can smell that," James scoffed as he took her free hand in his.

"None of the lights or plumbing work."

"Yeah, I know." James was still looking at her with concern. "Is there something else?"

Lily looked down at her feet, then back up at James. "I know it sounds weird but..." She let go of his hand and walked into the living room. He followed. What she saw confirmed her suspicion: the room was strewn with baby toys and right in the middle was a playpen, just about the right size for a 1 year old. She turned to face James, who had now gone just as pale as she had.

"How the hell..." He started to ask.

"For the past few weeks," Lily began to explain, taking back James' hand in her free one. "The Ministry has been monitoring a small increase in magical usage in the area around Malfoy Manor. We didn't think much of it but..." Lily had to sit down; her head was spinning too fast. She pulled out a stool from the island in the kitchen and nearly fell onto it. James did the same and sat facing her. "...we still wanted to keep an eye on it in case it developed into something harmful. From what we could analyze, it was a meager attempt at some sort of death defying spell. The higher-ups brushed it off because..." She sighed. "...it wasn't anywhere near complete... and how can you defy death if you're already dead?"

"That... makes sense." James said, squeezing her hand.

"Exactly," Lily continued. "And it had actually gone completely dormant for the last week until..."

"You think this," James gestured to the space around them, "could be the result of that magic?"

"I'm not totally sure." Lily looked around the two adjoining rooms. "The house looks exactly like how we left it on the night we..." After 20 years, Lily still couldn't talk about it. "...that night."

"What do you think that means?"

"I'm really not sure, James." Lily felt a tear roll down her cheek. It happened when she was stressed; which she definitely was now. James used his free hand to wipe it away; he let it linger, cupping her cheek and the side of her head.

"It's okay," He said, comforting her. "I'm not expecting you to know everything."

"I know." She tried to force a smile. She knew how much James worried when she was sad. It was adorable but meant that he got sad, too; and that made her feel even worse. "I would call the Ministry for an answer but I don't think the phone is going to work."

"Then we'll have to think of another way to figure all of this out." James got up from his seat and gently tugged at her arm. "We should each pack a go-bag; there's no telling what we'll find. And besides," He looked around. "This place doesn't look too habitable."

Lily stood up and began to follow him; but first she had to put down the sippy cup that she didn't even realize hadn't been let go of yet. Her hand had practically gone numb from holding onto it so tightly; as she shook it, her fingers regained their color. She caught up to James just in time to notice when he stopped abruptly at the top of the steps. His face was white as a sheet.

"What's up?" She asked, slowly walking up the steps to reach him. When he didn't respond, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. 

James jumped, as if whatever he was looking at had taken all of his attention; much like the sippy cup had taken Lily's when she first saw it. "Look." He said, his voice shaking. He pointed down the hallway with his other hand and moved towards their bedroom so she could step up and see.

When Lily took his place she understood why James looked so shaken up. Harry's room, the door to which they normally left closed, was open... in multiple ways. Lily now realized that the cold feeling she'd attributed to nerves a few minutes ago was because of the _gaping hole in the wall_. Reflexively, her hand flew to her mouth and slid down to fiddle with the collar of her shirt as she drew in a sharp breath. "That didn't happen before I..."

"I know," James responded. "You would have told me."

"But if Harry had..."

"Yeah, we would have seen him."

"James," Lily turned to him, the fear in her voice rising. She could barely finish her sentences.

"I know." He turned to face her. "We need to find Harry."

They practically ran into their bedroom and packed a bag each. Lily was done first since hers was mostly packed beforehand because of her job. While she was waiting she went out into the hallway, silently willing herself to step into Harry's room. No matter what she told herself, she couldn't move. She stood there until she felt James tap her shoulder.

"You ready?" He asked gently.

Lily turned around and mustered her bravest face. "Yeah. Let's go."

The two walked down the stairs hand in hand. They put on their shoes, grabbed their bags and keys, and left; locking the door behind them. It was then that they noticed their front lawn looked worse than their house did. The grass was overgrown and the gate was so rusted that they had to climb over it to get out. Before they left the property Lily noticed a sign in front of the gate. She grabbed James' attention. The sign was a memorial, or rather a memorial plaque, to them and Harry. A lot of the original writing had been written over with supportive messages to Harry. Lily smiled as she read them. She let a few tears roll down her face. 

That's when the voice called out, "IT'S POTTER! CALL FOR BACKUP!!"


	3. Tour the Ruins

"IT'S POTTER! CALL FOR BACKUP!!"

James jumped at the voice and turned around. A few meters away stood three Death Eaters; one standing in front of the other two. James figured he'd been the one to make the call. Reflexively he stuck his arm out to shield Lily, who he then noticed was already in front of him with her wand in one outstretched hand and the other shielding _him._

When the Death Eater in front saw how they'd reacted, he sneered. "Aw, does _Big Bad Potter_ suddenly need his _girlfriend_ to keep him safe?" 

"What do you want with me?" James asked, stepping forward.

"As if you don't know," The Death Eater retorted. 

James was confused. He turned to Lily. "Is this something else the Ministry's been monitoring?"

"No..." She looked just as confused as he felt.

"Oh don't play dumb," The Death Eater scoffed. "And don't try anything heroic either. In minutes this place'll be swarming with Death Eaters; this time we'll bring you in. It's over."

James noticed that while the Death Eater had been monologuing, Lily had somehow figured out exactly what was going on. She looked at him with a mixture of surprise and horror. The next thing he knew she'd grabbed his hand and began to sprint away from the Death Eaters. It took him a few seconds to register what had just happened, but the shouting and hexes that came from behind them jerked him back to reality. His brain began to work on autopilot; telling his arm to take out his wand and fire shield spells and hexes back at the Death Eaters who were now hot on their tails. 

Lily was doing the same but had become quickly distracted by the new Death Eaters that had just arrived in front of them. Out of the corner of James' eye he saw her fling hexes and other defensive spells in rapid succession, practically bowling over the new arrivals. If they weren't in mortal danger, James would have made a comment about how feirce she looked. She kept them running until they were well out of reach from their pursuers; then James felt her jerk him towards her and with a _CRACK_ the scenery around them changed. Lily nearly collapsed onto the cold floor that was now beneath them, dragging him down with her.

James' immediate concern was Lily. He rolled over to where she lay down, mostly unmoving. "Lily?!" He shook her to see if she'd move. When she didn't, he got to his knees and picked her up, cradling her in his arms. He brushed the hair out of her face. "Are you alright?"

She looked scared and exhausted, but nodded. "Sorry that was so sudden. I knew we had to get out of there before their backup arrived."

"Don't apologize," James said, now smiling. "That was badass. You saved both of us by doing that."

Lily smiled and pushed herself out of James' arms. They began to look around. From what James could see, where they were _looked_ like the Ministry; but it was too dark for him to see anything properly. He lit up his wand and held it out in front of him. When he swept it around, everything the light touched looked damaged or, worse, completely decimated. When he turned around, Lily was staring at him; she looked just as confused as he was. 

"What do you think happened here?" James asked, gesturing to the space around them.

"I have no clue," Lily said, looking around again to make sure she had taken them to the right place. "But whatever it is... it's bad. Like, apocalypse-level bad. I'm sure that the Ministry's been attacked before but this... this is different. We need a plan."

"Yeah," James agreed; his voice was quiet and withdrawn. The gears in his head were turning.

"James?"

"Back before you started running," He began, crossing his arms and looking back up at Lily. "You looked like you knew _exactly_ what was going on. Like why that Death Eater said he was looking for me. Why? What did you figure out?"

Lily hesitated. "I didn't recognize the Death Eater who was talking to us, but I did recognize one of the two behind him. It was Rodolphus Lestrange."

"Rodolphus?"

"Mhm. And we both know he didn't die in 1981; so there's no way he would be there if we were..."

"Dead?"

"Yeah, I guess. And then when we were running I saw Fenrir Greyback come in as part of the backup. And..." Her voice trailed off. She stared at her feet.

"Lily?" James stepped closer; he could see that she was holding something back. When she looked back up at him, he could see tears filling her eyes.

"I thought it was weird that the Death Eaters were so interested in _you_ specifically. But when I recognized Lestrange, it clicked. They called me your _girlfriend_ instead of your _wife_ because they weren't really talking to _you_."

"What?"

Lily took a moment to collect herself. When she spoke, her voice was quiet and shaking. "Think about it. Who could people mistake you for and has been a threat to the Death Eaters since before he was born?"

James felt his face go pale. He knew exactly what she meant. " _Harry_."

Lily nodded but couldn't speak.

"They're still after him." James said, his voice nearly breaking. He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. She wrapped hers tightly around his waist and buried her face in his chest. They stood like that for a few minutes until Lily broke the silence. 

"On the bright side," she said, craning her neck to look up at him. "It means he's still alive and away from them."

"It means we need to find him." James replied. "But how?" 

"We could check Grimmuald Place, Hogwarts," She offered, pulling back to hold him at arms' length. "Anywhere that could act as a safe house for him."

James nodded. His thoughts spun through his head at thousands of miles an hour. If he knew more about his own son he would know where to look. But he didn't; he knew next to nothing about Harry, and he beat himself up about it every day. And on top of that, it looked like the world was going through some kind of apocalypse-

"Wands down! Hands up!"


	4. Peaceful Intruders

Meetings, especially Department Head meetings, never failed to make Harry Potter a mix of bored and annoyed. Most of the time was spent getting updates from each department on any progress they'd made. The remaining time was spent asking what everyone needed from the next supply run. If it weren't for the fact that they were meeting under the stress of a near-apocalypse, he'd consider the meetings to be aggressively _ordinary_ , " _cookie-cutter_ ," even. That's why, when the alarm rang, Harry was the first to jump six feet out of his seat and chcek the dashboard. 

"What is it?" Ron asked. He, too, was almost halfway out the door. 

Harry looked down at the maps of Wizard Europe, littered with small lightbulbs marking different significant locations. Any that were lit up meant that there were people in the area. If the alarm went off it meant a previously unoccupied location was now, well, occupied. Most of the time the implication wasn't cause for panic, but this time... 

"Geez," Harry said.

"Harry what is it?" Ron prodded again.

Harry looked up. "It's the Ministry."

If it weren't for the potential gravity of the situation, Harry would say that Ron looked _excited_. "Count me in," He said.

"The Ministry could be an incredibly dangerous situation," Hermione interjected from her seat at the head of the roundtable. "You two are the best suited to go, but be careful; don't wait until the situation gets out of control. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. Understand?"

That last metaphor made Harry grin. He and Ron picked up their bags and nearly crashed into each other as they left the Conference Room. Harry dropped his bag off in his office down the hall and changed into his field uniform. The material used in the uniform was laced with protective magic to absorb part of any blow the Auror takes while fighting. Harry clipped on his badge that distinguished him as Head Auror and met Ron outside in the hallway between their offices. 

"You ready?" Ron asked.

"I never am," Harry replied, "But let's go." He held out his hand for Ron to grab. When he did, the space around them changed with a sharp _CRACK_. They were now inside one of the large fireplaces that used to serve as Floo enterances to the Ministry of Magic. Harry backed up against the wall closest to the main lobby. Ron followed suit. Harry inched towards the opening, wand at the ready, and stuck his head out facing the lobby to see if anyone was there. In the middle of the room stood a man and a woman holding each other at arms' length. They were too far away for Harry to hear what they were saying, but they didn't look like Death Eaters to him. At least, not on the outside. He turned back to Ron and gave him the details. 

"We'll do this via protocol," Harry said. "Did you bring any Veritaserum?"

Ron nodded and took a vial out from his pocket. "I brought some just in case."

"You know I love it when you come prepared," Harry smiled. "Follow my lead. Wands out." Harry held his wand in front of him and assessed the scene one more time. He turned his head back to face Ron. They nodded at each other. Almost in unison He and Ron jumped out from their place of hiding, wands up and pointed at the two figures ahead of them. 

"Wands down!" Harry called out. "Hands up!"

The man spun around to face them, repositioning himself to defend the woman behind him, and Harry nearly dropped his wand. He was practically a mirror image of Harry; same messy black hair, same face, same athletic build. It was when the woman stepped out from behind him that Harry realized who he was looking at. His heart stopped.

"Woah," Ron said quietly. He and Harry exchanged a look. "Are those your..." His whisper trailed off. 

"Harry?" The woman called out.

Harry took a moment to reorganize his thoughts. He couldn't let emotion get in the way of reason and protocol. He wouldn't let his guard down until he knew for sure. He raised his wand again. "I said hands up!" He demanded.

"Can you catch?" Ron asked them.

"What?" The man asked. 

Ron asked again, "Can you catch?"

"Yeah," he responded. "Yeah I can catch." 

Ron took out the vial of Veritaserum and tossed it up in the air. With his wand, he made it dissappear and reappear in front of the man and woman. It hovered for two seconds before dropping into the man's cupped hands. 

Harry took over. "You know what that is?" He asked them.

"Veritaserum." The woman responded. "It has to be."

"Good. Drink it, both of you." Harry ordered.

The man took a few sips from the vial and handed it to the woman. She drank the rest. 

Harry felt Ron tap his shoulder. "Let me take it from here," He offered.

Harry shook his head. He tried to hide the fact that his lip was quivering. "No," he responded. If someone was impersonating his parents he was going to deal with it himself. "This is personal."

"Well that's exactly why I should-"

"What are your names?" Harry asked, his voice magnified itself to hide the obvious shaking.

The woman went first. "I'm Lily Potter," she said. 

"James Potter," said the man.

Harry could barely ask the next question. He needed to sit down or cry. Or both. 

Ron decided to help anyway. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"We came here to figure out what's going on," Lily- no- his mother said. "We just-"

"You woke up this morning and everything was different," Harry interjected. His heart was pounding so loudly he was sure that his parents, _his parents_ , could hear it from across the room. "Am I right?" 

"Yeah," His father responded. "Exactly."

"Turn into Prongs," Harry demanded.

"Harry what-" Ron began to ask. But before he could finish, Harry's father had already stepped away and begun to transform. By the time Ron could close his mouth, a stag was standing in his place. 

Harry stared for a few seconds, then he lowered his wand. "Good. Good. You guys are clear, you-" He couldn't take it anymore. Harry pocketed his wand and began to sprint towards his mother. By the time his father had finished turning back into a human she and Harry had met in the middle of the room and were already in a tight embrace. Harry let his tears flow freely; he could barely keep his legs straight and ended up leaning on his mother for support. He was so overwhelmed by the moment that he barely registered his father joining the hug. All he could do was half stand-half lean there and cry. His parents did the same. They held onto each other like it was the end of the world.

What seemed like an eternity and yet also only five seconds later, Ron spoke up. "I'm terribly sorry to break this apart," He said, and Harry could tell that he was, truly, sorry. "But we should probably get out of here before the alarm goes off again and it _is_ Death Eaters this time."

Harry managed to pull himself away from his parents and stand up properly. He wiped his face with his sleeve and sighed. When he looked up at Ron it was obvious that he'd also been crying. "Yeah," Harry agreed, looking back at his parents. "We should leave before any unwanted guests arrive." He waved his hand in a "come with me" motion. "Let's go."

The four of them met in the middle of the room and took eachothers' hands. With a loud _CRACK_ , the scene around them warped and changed until they were back inside Headquarters.


	5. Brave New World

In the span of just a few hours, Lily's world had been turned upside down multiple times. When she opened her eyes after the apparition she found that they had turned up inside a long white hallway. There were no doors or windows within a few meters of them. It looked almost eerie.

"Welp, here we are," Harry said to them.

 _Harry_. After nearly 20 years without him, wanting nothing more than to see him, missing him so much that on some days it left her unable to push herself out of bed, he was _here_. He was _right in front of her_. If she hadn't spent the last few minutes crying, she would have broken down right then and there.

"Y'know before I forget," started the other man, whose name Lily still didn't know. He turned towards her and James. "I'm Ron. Ron Weasely." He held out his hand.

Lily shook his hand and smiled. "Lily Potter,"

James shook it next. "James Potter, pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Ron replied. He then turned to Harry, who was sporting an ear-to-ear grin.

It was incredible, Lily thought, how much he really _did_ look like James. Her guess from earlier was made based on what Harry had looked like as a baby; then he'd shown potential to keep his father's messy black hair and facial structure. But the boy- no- the _man_ she was now looking at was, with no exaggeration, a carbon-copy of her husband. Not only did he have the same messy black hair and face; he had the same athletic build, he, too, needed glasses, and even unconsiously behaved in a very similar way. The only similarity she shared with him was green eyes. 

Harry seemed to notice that everyone was staring at him. He shook his head and straightened himself out. "Might as well show you guys around," He said.

"Yeah," Ron said, his voice laced with a humorous tone. "It's not like we have a staff meeting to get back to or anything." 

Harry snorted and gave Ron a light punch. 

Lily and James exchanged a look. 

"We don't want to keep you-" Lily began, though truly all she wanted to do was sit with her family for hours and talk. She'd missed so much.

"Oh, no," Harry assured her, looking at Ron for confirmation. "We've already done our part in the meeting, and Hermione isn't expecting us back at a certain time."

"Besides," Ron added, "It's a weekly 'what's-going-on' kind of meeting. We aren't missing much."

"You'd rather be doing literally anything else, wouldn't you?" Asked James.

The boys nodded with semi-guilty looks on their faces. Lily couldn't blame them; she'd been to plenty of weekly department meetings at the Ministry. They were very rarely exciting.

Harry let out a short laugh. Lily noticed it almost perfectly mimicked James'. "Yeah, they aren't exactly the highlights of our week." He said. "Which makes this a perfect opportunity to give you guys a tour!" 

"Can I help?" Ron asked; though to Lily it sounded more like a plea.

"Of _course_ ," Harry said, moving his hand to affectionately ruffle Ron's hair. 

It was clear to Lily that Harry and Ron were as close as James and Sirius; if not, closer. It made her happy to see that Harry had found himself a brother, since any chance of him having one biologically was long gone. 

"Follow me," Harry said, beginning the tour and breaking Lily's train of thought. He began to walk down the hallway backwards so that he was facing Lily and James. "Welcome," he began with an almost sarcastic amount of flair. "To the humble underground Headquarters of the Joint Forces."

"The Joint Forces?" Asked James.

"Yes; because to stop the Death Eaters in their tracks, the Order and the Ministy have merged to make one giant taskforce. And the name "the Ministry of Order" sounded weird." Harry explained.

"Also," Ron interrupted, "The higher-ups in both organizations ended up being pretty much the same people."

"That, too. At any rate," Harry continued, "We managed to bypass the security system here because I'm allowed, so that was back there." He pointed behind them to where, Lily now noticed, there was a door at the very end of the hallway. 

"Why do you get to bypass security?" Lily asked.

"Special apparating permissions given to administrators," He explained. "You can ask Hermione when you meet her; she set it up. Moving on! Coming up on your..." Harry had to check his directional bearings. "...Left! There we go. Coming up on your left is the Infirmary. For the sake of convenience it's the closest room to the enterance. You can probably guess why."

Just then, another boy who looked about Harry's age poked his head out from inside the Infirmary. He looked familiar to Lily, though she couldn't tell why.

"You guys giving a tour?" The boy asked, stepping out into the hallway. When he looked at her and James, he froze; just as Ron had back in the Ministry. He then turned back to Harry, who had stopped walking. "Harry, did you get hit with a cloning hex?"

Harry shot him a look. "No..." He replied, giving the boy another look that said, "Think about it, you know exactly what's going on."

It took the boy a few seconds; but when it clicked, his eyes grew to be as wide as dinner plates. "Bloody hell-"

"That's my line!" Ron protested.

"Well then maybe I'm spending too much time around you." The boy shot back. "Not the point though! Harry, this is incredible!"

If Harry was trying to hide his smile, Lily thought, he was doing an awful job. 

"Yeah," He said with a happy sigh. "It is."

The boy turned to Lily and James and stuck out his hand. "I'm Neville Longbottom," He said, grinning at them. "Nice to meet you."

_Longbottom, of course! He's Frank and Alice's kid!_ Lily thought. It made sense now why he looked so familliar. She and James introduced themselves, but before she could say anything about his parents he had to leave.

"Got a few things to take care of, if you don't mind." He apologized before ducking back inside. "Seamus almost blew himself up again."

Harry and Ron said their goodbyes and resumed the tour.

"Next up," Harry continued, "Is our Potions Lab. You probably won't be spending much time in there." 

"Why not?" Lily asked. Her job here would probably end up being an Auror; but if needed she was still pretty decent at Potions. She also knew that James was even better at it than she was because of his father. If he couldn't be useful as a Quidditch player, his next job would be here in this lab. 

Harry and Ron exchanged an uncomfortable look. Harry then checked his watch. "Well," He said, "You can peak in for a minute or two now."

So they did. Inside, Lily saw dozens of shelves stocked full with all kinds of recipe books. There were seven tables inside, each with one cauldron on top and a few more stored beneath. She found a copious amount of potion ingredients inside a large storage closet. Finished potions were stored in vials inside another storage closet. The lab was magnificent; and thus Lily wondered why Harry was so adamant that she not go in for longer than the two minutes just then. _Could it be that someone in particular works here?_ She'd have to ask.

When Lily and James returned to the boys, Harry was glancing nervously down the hallway as if he expected someone to come walking their way. When he noticed they were back, he smiled as if nothing had happened. 

"Let's move along," He said, nodding his head in a 'follow me' motion. 

They continued down the hallway until they reached a large circular open area that reminded Lily very much of the common rooms at Hogwarts. The space had plenty of couches, rugs, comfy chairs, tables, pillows, and blankets. A few people that Lily didn't recognize were gathered in a small circle, chatting happily. Around the perimiter of the room were the enterances to eight hallways; one of which was the one they'd come through. 

"This is our Main Common Area," Harry explained. "Most of the hallways you see lead to the sets of rooms where people sleep; the hallway directly behind me leads to the cafeteria as well as the rest of the compound. I would bring you guys to your room now, but I'll need to get the key from my office. You don't mind carrying those backpacks for a little while longer, do you?"

"We'll be fine," James said.

"Good," Harry chirped. He looked at his watch again. "Oh, what a shame," He announced sarcastically, "That meeting should over by now." 

"Darn," Ron concurred, with an equal amount of sarcasm in his voice.

"That means it's time for lunch!" Harry noted with enthusiasm. "Unless you guys are in a hurry to drop off your bags."

"Come to think of it," Lily mused, "We haven't eaten all day. I'm starving."

James nodded in agreement.

"Well then," Harry beckoned, "Let's go and eat. We'll have plenty of time to finally catch each other up once we sit down; Merlin knows we need it."

Harry took the lead once again, and they set off to get lunch; where Lily and James would finally get to know their son.


	6. An Overdue Introduction

James followed Harry and Ron through the hallway that led to the cafeteria. He was glad that Lily had been holding his hand tightly throughout most of the tour; otherwise he would've gotten completely wrapped up in his own thoughts and probably have bumped into something by now. Could anyone blame him, though? After nearly 20 years, his son, _his son,_ was right in front of him. It didn't matter that they'd already had their 'big emotional reunion,' it didn't matter that they had to reunite under such _odd_ circumstances; all that mattered was that _finally_ James was able to _see_ and _hear_ and _hold_ his son. Every second of the tour James grew even more proud of Harry and all that he'd done; the Head Auror's badge clipped to his shirt being just the icing on the cake.

Which brought him to looks. James fondly remembered joking that since baby Harry had black hair and bore a slight resembelance to a young James, Lily had somehow lost out on handing down looks aside from the emerald green eyes they shared. Now, on the other hand, James was floored when he saw exactly how much Harry looked like him. Every time he looked at Harry it felt like he was staring in a mirror. In fact, he pitied anyone who wasn't either of them, with the possible exception of Lily. If he wasn't himself, James figured he'd have a rough time telling the two of them apart. 

The cafeteria was a large, open room; probably about half the size of the Ministry's lobby. On either side of the room, a few feet inside were two large buffet tables, fully stocked. James followed his crowd as they walked over to one of them and filled up plates that they picked up at the front of the tables. The boys waited at the end and then quickly found an empty table to occupy. James took a seat next to Harry. Lily sat on the other side of their son.

"Y'know," Ron said, shifting his gaze between James and Harry. "I thought everyone told Harry how much he looked like you because part of it was sympathetic. I was wrong. One of you needs to dye your hair or something." He promptly tore into the drumstick he'd been holding.

James looked at Harry again. "How often?"

"Every time I meet someone new over the age of 30."

Lily stifled a laugh. "That often?" She asked.

"Oh yeah." He responded. "And don't think they leave you out. I've honestly considered carrying around an index card that reads, 'yes, I know I look exactly like my father; and yes, I know I have my mother's eyes.'"

It was James' turn to try not to laugh. Or cry. Or both. "Well clearly you somehow inherited her snappy one-liners."

Something he'd said must have been important because Ron nearly choked on his food and dropped what he'd been eating. "Oh you have no idea," he said between coughs. 

"Ron," Harry cautioned, "Don't embarrass me here."

"I would do _nothing_ of the sort, Harry." Ron said indignantly.

"You absolutely would."

Ron paused. "You've got me; but I won't now. _Anyways_ , I think you two need to hear the _greatest_ one-liner ever delivered. Picture it: September 3rd, 1996. Defence Against the Dark Arts-"

Harry groaned. "Oh, Merlin."

Ron shushed Harry, who was now holding his head in his hands. He then proceeded to tell James and Lily about the time Harry had 'accidentally' talked back to Snape in, at least in James' opinion, the best way a student possibly could. In fact, James spent the next few minutes trying to keep himself from falling off of his chair in a fit of laughter. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Lily, too, was trying very hard to keep it together.

"I still don't understand why you guys found that so funny." Harry protested. "I mean he deserved it, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't _that_ funny."

"It absolutely was," James wheezed. "There's no need to call me Sir, Professor! Oh, what I would give to see his _face_!" 

"Wasn't this lunch supposed to be about catching up?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject.

"Is this not catching up?" Ron countered, which earned him a hard glare from Harry. "Alright," He relented. "You guys have the floor. If you want me to leave-"

"No," Harry said quickly. "Stay. Let's just get the big things out of the way first."

"That seems like a good idea," James said, finally able to keep a straight face. "Why don't we call Sirius and Remus in; I'm sure they'd love to help explain and..." His voice trailed off when he noticed the face Harry was making. He recognized the look immediately; he'd seen it on himself in the days after his parents had died. The implication made his heart sink.

"Harry?" Lily prodded, putting a hand softly on his shoulder. "Where are they? What happened?"

James stared at him, waiting for a response. His mind told him he already knew the answer; but he didn't want to believe it. 

Harry took a deep breath. His voice became quieter. "Well, the bright side is that given the current situation... I don't actually know where they are."

If James had been standing he would've dropped to his knees. "What happened to them?" He asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"There was a small battle in the Department of Mysteries in June of '96," Harry began slowly, taking deep breaths as he talked. "Bellatrix hit Sirius with a stunning spell; which would've been fine if he wasn't standing... right in front of the Veil. As for Remus, it was May of '98; the Battle of Hogwarts. We lost 50 men and women; he happened to be one of them. I don't know who... y'know."

James could barely gather the strength to wrap his arms around Harry; still, he did. He felt Harry wrap his own around him, and seconds later felt Lily join in from where she was now crouched beside them. It amazed James how... okay Harry seemed. Though he wasn't sure yet how Harry _actually_ felt, he couldn't help but notice that to anyone who didn't know even a fraction of what he had been through, Harry might seem like a completely normal and emotionally stable young man. As if to prove the point, when Harry pulled away his face was almost stoic. No tears had made their way down his cheeks like the ones on James' face had; in fact Harry actually cracked a small smile.

"I meant what I said a few minutes ago," He said to James and Lily, his voice sporting a comforting tone. "Given what's going on, they could both be alive. I mean, the only reason we knew about you guys is because you tripped an alarm in the Ministry that told us the space was occupied. Otherwise it could've been days, even weeks, before we found you two."

"Could you send out a search party?" Lily, now back in her seat, asked him.

"Unfortunately, no. We can only do that if there's proof that they're alive and could be in danger. If we have no proof it's a dangerous and unnecessary risk." Harry paused for a moment, then sighed and said, "Believe me, as their friend, I hate it too; but as Head Auror, I have to recognize what is and isn't safe and beneficial to this community's well-being. These kind of blind dives just aren't worth the risk. Besides, they're smart; both of them are. If and when they need to get our attention, they'll find a way." He put his hand on James' shoulder. "I promise."

James forced a weary, and probably very unconvincing, smile. At that same moment, a young woman walked up to the table and sat down next to Ron with a huff. If she knew what was going on, she didn't show it. Harry queezed his shoulder and then straightened up to greet her.

"Hi 'Mione," He said with a pleasant cheerfulness.

She looked up and glared at him. "How long have you two been back?"

Ron looked at his watch. "Probably 30 minutes, why?"

"The meeting ended ten minutes ago." She said, still glaring at Harry and Ron.

"We'd both already done our jobs," Ron protested. "Besides, you had no idea how long that would take and therefore couldn't have possibly expected us back before it ended."

"I kinda had... other stuff to do." Harry added.

"What other stuff besides a report that you're going to turn in to _yourself_ -" She ended her sentence abruptly as her eyes fell on James and Lily. 

"Harry..." She began, unable to take her eyes off of them. "Are those..."

Harry grinned. "If you're going to ask if they're my _parents_ , then yes." He said the word 'parents' the same way James thought he would say 'his son;' as if he still couldn't believe it.

The young woman's face lit up with surprise and delight. "That's incredible!" She then introduced herself to James and Lily as Hermione Granger, Minister of Magic.

"Minister?!" Lily asked. James couldn't believe it either. These _kids_ were barely into their 20's and somehow in charge of everything.

Hermione blushed. "It was an emergency promotion. We-"

"Don't sell yourself short!" Ron objected. "It doesn't matter how you got the job if you're qualified to do it!"

"He's right, 'Mione" Harry agreed. "You're definitely better than the old bureaucrats that fled as soon as danger struck."

James and Lily shared a confused look. When Harry noticed, he explained that when the Death Eaters had made their resurgence a few months ago those in charge at the Ministry took their families and went into hiding without a trace; leaving them and the rest of the Order to fix things.

"Just like last time," Hermione grumbled.

James and Lily were still stunned and mildly confused. "What in Merlin's name did we _miss_?" James asked.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchnaged a quick look and promptly burst into fits of laughter. "What _didn't_ you miss is probably the better question," Ron wheezed.

"If we were to explain it ourselves," Harry said amid gradually subsuding laughter, "It would take _days_." 

"A pensive would probably be more useful in the long run," Hermione added. "We can have one set up by tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime, we can tell you what you need to know at the moment."

Harry's watch beeped. When he looked down, he made a face. "I need to lead some training sessions in ten minutes."

"I can take over if you want," Ron offered.

"Would you? Normally I'd-"

"Harry," Ron stopped him, standing up to take his plate and leave. "I know you would. Today's special."

"I owe you." Harry gave him a pat on the back in thanks.

"No you don't," He said before turning to face James and Lily. "It was great to finally meet you guys; I'll see all of you later."

The rest of them said goodbye to Ron, and then Harry stood up. "I don't mean to leave you, 'Mione; but I would like to get my parents situated."

"Go ahead," She said. "I've got people I can talk to."

"Are you guys done?" Harry asked James and Lily. "You can absolutely go up for seconds; I just noticed your plates were empty and..."

"We're done," They said in near-unison. 

"Great," Harry said. "Let's get you guys set up in a room before I get caught up with any other important stuff." 

The Potters took their plates and said their goodbyes to Hermione before leaving the cafeteria. As they did, James realized again how happy it made him that Harry had such close friends. 

"So," He asked Harry. "Are those two your best friends?"

Harry gave a small smile. "I've known them since the first train ride to Hogwarts. I'd consider them more my siblings than anything else."

The three of them continued walking, but James and Lily walked hand in hand; both sporting ridiculously large smiles. Knowing that their son was alive and happy meant more to them than anything else.


	7. Adjust to the New Normal

Lily expected the room Harry was giving them to look like a hotel room; though not a remotely fancy one. But when he opened the door for her and James to step inside she noticed it looked more like a basic flat. It had a small entryway that led to an open kitchen and living room furinished with a small table, two chairs, and a couch. A door on the other side of the room led to the bedroom. It had a dresser, a closet, and one nightstand on each side of a large bed. A door inside the bedroom led to a bathroom that had a toilet, a vanity sink with drawers underneath, and a shower.

Harry must have sensed Lily's surprise; that or James had showed him some of his own astonishment. "Were you expecting something different?" He asked.

"If I'm being honest," Lily said, turning to face him. "I thought, given the state of things, we'd be sleeping in... I don't know, bunkers?" 

Harry smiled. "Just because the Death Eaters caught us a little by surprise doesn't mean we weren't prepared. It was a bit of work; but with everyone's help this facility was up and running in no time. And to be honest, a few of us suspected something was coming. Some preparations were made beforehand."

Lily smiled and put down her bag next to the bed; James followed suit. She noticed that Harry looked a bit skittish. "If we're keeping you from running things around here-"

"Oh no," Harry assured her. "No not at all. I'm just... this is a lot. I'm really happy that you guys are here it's just... a huge adjustment. It still doesn't feel real." 

Lily noticed that Harry put his hand on the back of his neck the same way that James did when he was nervous or embarrassed. It made her smile even more. Before she could say anything to him, however, she saw James move over to Harry and give him a hug. Without a word, Harry hugged back. Lily joined them seconds later. None of them spoke; they didn't need to. Despite all of their years apart, the bond that connected them as a family allowed them to speak without words as if they'd spent every day together.

The three of them spent the rest of that afternoon getting caught up with each other. But while the only astonishing thing that Lily and James could tell Harry was that James played for the best team in their Po Quidditch League ("The Cannons are _rubbish_ down here." Harry had told them. "You _have_ to tell Ron about this."), Harry had _plenty_ more stories to tell them. Some were lighthearted, like how Harry made the Gryffindoor Quidditch Team in his first year; the story of which had James nearly in tears. 

But much to Lily's dismay they were far outnumbered by those of danger and trauma that looked like they took everything out of Harry just to mention. Probably worst of all was the one that had taken place immediately after she and James had died; the events of which Harry himself couldn't properly piece together because he wasn't a witness to most of it. Instead of being given to Sirius, Harry had been rushed under Dumbledore's orders to her sister's house because he wanted to keep Harry away from any chaos until it subsided. (She and James both protested the idea, but clearly couldn't do anything about it now.) The real tradgedy struck when Siruis had gone out the next day and encountered Peter in muggle London. Before Sirius could do anything Peter had blown up the street, killed a dozen people, and ran away; leaving Sirius to face time in Azkaban, without trial, for a crime he didn't commit. Lily was devastated; of course she and James knew that Peter had given them up to the Dark Lord. But this? 

Harry reached a hand out to James, who had his head in his hands and looked a mere five seconds from bursting into tears. Lily put her arm across his back and pulled him towards her. She looked at Harry for _any_ good news. After all, Sirius couldn't have fought in the Department of Mysteries if he was locked up. 

"The justice system back then was screwed up." Harry said, holding both Lily and James' hands in his own. "Sirius broke out twelve years later and hid at Grimmuald Place for the next two years. That's how he was able to be in the Department of Mysteries. The bright side is that last year I took it upon myself to dig up the old case files and any evidence I could find about his case. I even put my own memory of the night Pettigrew confessed to me, Sirius, Remus, Hermione, and Ron in the Shrieking Shack into a pensive and ensured that it hadn't been corrupted. The Ministry agreed to hold a posthumous trial for him and..."

Lily held Harry's gaze, waiting for the verdict. James lifted his head out of his hands.

"...we won." Harry's face broke into a broad grin. "The Ministry revoked its initial verdict and issued an apology. If and when we find him, Siruis will come here as a free man."

Lily wasn't sure what noise James made as he tackled Harry in a tight hug powerful enough to land them both on the floor. Both of them laughed; James with tears in his eyes.

"I'm so proud of you, Harry." James said.

Lily watched as they stood up and then gave Harry a tight hug. "We're both _very_ proud of you." She said.

The rest of the day passed with more storytelling that continued through dinner until Harry and Ron had to excuse themselves early to prepare for a supply mission that the latter would lead the next morning. Lily and James spent the rest of dinner talking to Hermione and Neville, whom they'd met earlier, as well as Ron's youngest and only sister Ginny Weasley, whom they'd been introduced to at that meal. Lily liked Ginny a lot; she reminded her a bit of James and herself. Both Ginny and James played Pro Quidditch, which very quickly became a talking point after introductions were done. And per Harry's request Ron was notified of just how good James' team was; Ron, expectedly, was shocked.

After dinner Lily and James made their way back to the pseudo-flat that they were now to call home. They took a few minutes to unpack what little belongings they had with them, and then showered and got ready for bed. They curled up together under the blanket that was _just_ thick enough to keep them warm and said their goodnights; though Lily could tell that neither of them actually went to sleep for a long while afterwards. 

\--------------------------------------------

Lily woke the next morning to find James sitting on the edge of the bed, fully dressed for the day. "Are you alright?" She asked him.

He turned around to face her. "Yeah... woke up early, couldn't go back to sleep."

"What time is it?"

"7:30."

Lily stretched and got out of bed. "They're probably having breakfast now."

"D'you think Harry would come by and get us?"

"I don't know." Lily changed into some day clothes and picked up her wand. She faced James, who was still sitting where he had been when she woke up. 

"You want to get out of here." He guessed.

Lily sighed and smiled at him. "I don't want to wait for Harry _possibly_ coming to get us."

James smiled and stood up. He took his own wand from the nightstand he'd left it on and took Lily's hand in his. The two of them left their flat and immediately bumped into Harry, who was walking down the hallway; most likely to pick them up. When he saw them enter the hallway, his face lit up.

"I was just coming to get you guys," Harry said cheerfully. "Breakfast just started."

The three of them exchanged 'good mornings' and walked to the cafeteria. Sitting at the same table as they had the previous two meals was Hermione, Neville, and Ginny. They were joined by another girl about their age with very blonde hair, as well as a young man who Lily couldn't identify because his back was to her. They sat down, Harry next to Hermione and James on the other side of him; leaving Lily to sit in between James and the young man whom she didn't know. When she looked at him to introduce herself, however, she realized it was Regulus Black, Sirius' younger brother; whom she and the Marauders, as they liked to call themselves, talked to as often as possible before he died in 1979.

"Lily! James!" Regulus exclaimed with surprise. "When did you two get here?"

"Yesterday just before lunch." Lily said as the two met for a quick hug. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. My family doesn't know I'm here though; I don't know when you guys are taking a field trip next but my presence here is confidential."

"But... you're not a Death Eater?" James asked him.

Regulus gave Harry an exasperated look. "Kreacher really didn't tell _anyone,_ did he?"

Harry just shrugged. "I told you all I know."

Regulus turned back to James and Lily and sighed. "I freakin' _died_ trying to get rid of the Dark Lord. Apparently Kreacher forgot to _tell anyone_."

James' face was pale. Lily couldn't blame him; she'd seen Sirius' reaction to hearing about his brother's death. It wasn't pretty. His own biological parents didn't tell him; he heard it from his cousin, Andromeda. No cause was given. Sirius was inconsoleable; he wrecked nearly everything in the small flat he owned at the time and wouldn't eat for weeks. He assumed Reg had died in a mission gone wrong and blamed the Death Eaters for recruiting too young.

"He thought you died for _them_." James said, his voice barely a whisper. He didn't need to say who 'he' was. 

Regulus gave him a look that said 'what can you do?' "I had a plan." He explained. "It fell apart after I could physically do anything about it."

"So then how did you get here?" Lily asked.

"I happened to be walking around Diagon Alley, confused as all hell, and saw Harry and his buddies coming back from a Supply Haul or whatever. I thought he was James but getting their attention still worked in my favor. That was a few weeks ago."

The rest of the meal was devoted to more current events, such as Neville's new struggle with some Mandrakes and Harry working the details for a pensive session out with Hermione. The girl whom Lily didn't recognized introduced herself as Luna Lovegood. She had an incredibly sweet disposition, but what attracted Lily's attention was that she enjoyed reading The Quibbler... upside down. Luna said it enhanced the experience; Lily found it endearing. 

As breakfast ended everyone stood up and gathered their plates. Lily's attention was grabbed by her son, who said that there was a meeting he needed to be at.

"If you two want to sit in," Harry said to her and James, "That's perfectly fine. We can take a minute to find jobs for you here. If you _don't_ want to go, that's also fine. I don't blame you; those meetings are boring."

Lily and James agreed that they might as well sit in on the meeting and followed Harry and Hermione to a conference room near Harry's office. When they entered, Regulus was waiting for them, along with a boy who looked a lot like Ron but older, Neville, a few people Lily didn't recognize... and Severus Snape. Lily finally realized why Harry didn't want her spending time in the Potions Lab yesterday. _He must know something,_ she thought. She felt James squeeze her hand. By the looks on both of their faces, they'd noticed each other. She and James took seats near the entrance, as they were the only ones left unoccupied besides the ones apparently reserved for Harry and Ron at the other end of the table. 

The meeting started with little fanfare aside from the mumbled "thank god" out of a few mouths when Harry mentioned that Ron and a few others were out on the Supply Run as he spoke. He and Hermione got through a few more announcements and checks with the heads of one or two departments before a loud alarm rang from a panel on the side of the room. Harry and Hermione exchanged a worried look before Harry moved to check on the board.

"If suddenly appearing in the Ministry is going to become a trend..." He muttered as he studied what looked to Lily like a map of Europe. His finger searched for the source before it found its place on a red dot near the top. Harry froze.

"Where?" Hermione asked.

He turned around, clearly very confused. "Hogwarts."

"But..." Hermione began, but her voice trailed off.

"Yeah," Harry agreed with whatever unspoken statement she had implied. "I have to go."

"Ron isn't here-"

"Yeah, uh..." Harry scanned the room. For what, Lily didn't know. When it looked like he saw what he needed, his eyes snapped back into focus. "George," he called out, locking eyes with the young man who Lily had noted earlier looked like an older Ron. "I could use your help. Let's go."

George nodded quickly and got out of his seat. He picked up a portfolio from the table and left the room. Harry was quick to follow him.

"Be careful!" Hermione called after them.

As soon as Harry disappeared behind the door, something made Lily get up and follow him. She felt James do the same. Out in the hallway, Harry and George were walking briskly away from them.

"Harry!" Lily called out.

Harry stopped and turned to face them. He gave George some quick directions and began to walk back towards them; George, on the other hand, kept walking away.

"I'll be fine," he said, putting one hand on Lily's shoulder and the other on James'. "This is my job."

"Just because it's normal doesn't make it safe," James said to him.

"We're just worried," Lily added.

Harry smiled at them. "I'm kind of in a rush, so for now you'll have to trust me. But ask anyone, I'll be okay." He dropped his hands and began to walk away backwards. "I have to go, I'm sorry. I'll see you later" With that, he turned around and disappeared as he went around a corner.

Lily hoped, for his sake, he knew what he was doing.


	8. Wake Up and Smell the Anomaly

Remus Lupin opened his eyes that morning and gazed directy out the window in his room at Hogwarts. The Black Lake glittered in the early sunlight. He stared at it for a few minutes before he felt Dora Tonks stir from her sleep beside him. He looked at the clock before kissing the top of her head and getting out from under the covers; it was 9am. If it were during the school year, Remus would have been very late for breakfast; but as it was still the summer he had no real schedule to adhere to. He got dressed for the day and gathered his wand, some books, and other supplies he would need. When he looked back at the bed, Dora was still half asleep.

"I don't understand morning people," She groaned, attempting to slide out of the bed before she could fall back asleep.

"I'm not a morning person, Dora, I have stuff to do; there's a difference."

"So you're saying under that perfectly sunny disposition is intense loathing for your obligations?" Her last word was distorted as she rolled out of the bed and onto the floor.

Remus chuckled. "Yes."

Dora stood up with a huff and got dressed. A few minutes later they stepped out into the corridor and immediately Remus sensed something was wrong. The castle looked like it hadn't been properly taken care of in months; there were also marks on the walls, floor, and even the ceiling that indicated a fight had broken out recently. When Remus looked at Dora, it was obvious to him that she had noticed it too.

"There's no way I would've slept through any type of fighting," she said to him. "I'm a freakin' auror. We're trained to wake up if anything happens."

"Yeah..." Remus agreed, his voice trailing off as he assessed the scene around them. "Let's go back inside."

"What?"

"We need to pack bags." Remus turned around and re-entered the classroom that led to where they slept.

"Why?" Dora asked, following him.

"Something is _very_ wrong. We might need to leave."

"But pack _everything?_ Don't you think that'll be a little hard to carry?"

"Nope," Remus said. With a swish of his wand everything in the room began to pack itself until it was all stored in a trunk and a small satchel.

"I forgot about that," Dora said, amazed. "Is my stuff now in there, too?"

In response, Remus pointed to a small duffel bag belonging to her in the corner. Dora picked it up, and the two went back into the corridor.

"What now?" Dora asked.

Before Remus could answer, he saw three Death Eaters turn the corner. Instinctively he put himself between them and his wife. When they saw Remus and Dora the Death Eaters grinned beneath their masks. Remus only recognized the one standing in front of the other two; it was Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Well _hello_ there," She cooed at them, her mouth stretched in a sneer. She took her mask off; her henchmen followed suit.

"Oh, look at that," Dora called out, stepping in front of Remus and taking out her wand. "If it isn't my least favorite aunt."

"You're too cute," Bellatrix sneered, moving closer. "Unfortunately, you're also trespassing; and we can't have that." She took out her wand and pointed it at Remus and Dora. "Now, why don't you two make this easy for us and-"

"I'd watch where you point that wand, Bellatrix." A familliar voice called out from behind Remus. He turned around cautiosly and saw Harry Potter standing a few meters away, his wand pointed directly at Bellatrix and her henchmen; the latter two of whom were now visibly in distress. Beside him was George Weasely, recognizeable only because Fred would have no reason to be at Hogwarts. Given the current situation, Remus felt suddenly very worried for the absent twin.

"Harry Potter," Bellatrix said, clearly amused. "What a coincidence."

"Don't waste your time, Bellatrix. This isn't your turf. Get out before I make you."

Bellatrix was clearly having fun. Remus could tell she loved fighting far more than any other Death Eater. Bloodshed was her drug of choice.

"Alright then," she said. "Make me."

Harry didn't hesitate. He threw a few rapid-fire hexes and charged straight at Bellatrix. George, on the other hand, ran straight for Remus and Dora; he tried to move both of them back into the classrom that they'd emerged from minutes earlier, but Remus didn't want to put his knowledge of Defense Against the Dark Arts to waste. He put down everything but his wand and ran towards the fight, flinging hexes that would help weaken their opponents. He sensed Dora come in right behind him. She played on the offensive with Harry and together they pushed Bellatrix and her men further and further down the hall until they were cornered. 

Remus, and eventually George, remained on defense. Remus used his wand to deflect hex after hex so Harry and Dora could keep attacking. George threw what looked to Remus like Dungbombs at the Death Eaters; the small spheres exploded in front of them, but instead of filling the air with awful-smelling gas they emitted a loud popping noise and sent smoke flying into the Death Eaters' eyes, blocking their vision and throwing them off-balance. 

But the Death Eaters were relentless. They fired hex after hex and curse after curse; and despite being outnumbered and having no real strategy, they didn't give up. Remus was growing weary by the time Bellatrix, who had remained at the front for the entire time, suddenly fell back behind her henchmen.

"What, Bellatrix," Remus heard Harry taunt. "Is this too much? Are you gonna quit?"

Suddenly, Bellatrix pushed the other two Death Eaters behind her and flung a hex powerful enough to throw the rest of them backwards and onto their backs. Before any of them could recover, Remus saw the three Death Eaters disapparate. He struggled to his feet and made his way over to Harry, who was sitting upright and scowling at the now empty space.

"Harry," Remus said, placing a delicate hand on the young man's shoulder.

Harry turned around. His eyes lit up, as if he hadn't yet allowed himself to realize who exactly he'd come to the defense of. The next thing Remus knew he was enveloped in a strong hug. He smiled and hugged Harry back just as tightly.

"Is everyone okay?" Dora asked.

Remus and Harry pulled apart. "We're fine," they said in near-unison.

"I'm alive," George groaned. He was still lying on his back.

Remus and Harry stood up and walked over to check on him. Dora joined the crowd. George had no visible bruising, which was a good sign. 

Harry bent down and extended his arm to George. "First time getting thrown?" He asked with a small laugh. 

George grimaced as he accpted Harry's hand and pulled himself up onto his feet. "Nah, I work with explosives. I just never get used to it." 

"Is anyone else bothered by the fact that those Death Eaters were able to just apparate right out of Hogwarts?" Dora asked them.

Harry made an exasperated face. "Obviously you guys have some catching up to do."

"What the hell is going on?" Asked Remus.

"Well," Harry said. "For starters, you're alive. That's something you should probably know."

Remus was shocked, but not entirely surprised. He tried to control the whirlwind of thoughts now raging through his head, but they wouldn't obey. _Is this the apocalypse?_ He wondered. _Are we the only ones to come back to life? Is everyone else okay? Is my_ son _okay?_

"And just because we are oh-so-cautious these days," Harry continued, pulling a small vial out of his pocket. "I'll need to make sure you are who you say you are. Even if we did hug two minutes ago." Harry opened the vial and handed it to Dora. "You know what this is, I hope?"

"Veritaserum," She answered, taking a sip. She handed the bottle to Remus, who despised the potion but drank it anyway. He thought it tasted like expired pumpkin juice.

"What are your names?" Harry asked.

"Remus Lupin."

"Nymphadora Tonks." 

"What is your son's name?"

"Edward Remus Lupin," They said in unison.

Harry flicked his wand and suddenly Remus no longer felt compelled to tell the truth. "Your eyes are blue," he said to Harry.

"What?"

"Just making sure I can speak without embarrassing myself."

Harry gave him an amused smile and addressed everyone present. "We should leave before Bellatrix tells everyone at Malfoy Manor to get revenge." 

As if in agreement, Remus' stomach growled. "Is there food where we're going?"

"Oh, plenty," George assured him.

With that, Harry extended his hands for the others to hold. Remus locked eyes with Dora right before they apparated, and he could tell that she was just as nervous as he was about what they'd find where they were going. And more importantly, they both now feared again for their son's safety.


	9. Lost and Found

Harry nearly fell over after apparating past security again, which earned him a concerned look from Remus as he caught him.

"I'm fine," Harry assured him, standing up straight. "Apparating past a security checkpoint with three people on my back is a bit of work, that's all."

"Isn't security pointless, then?" Dora asked.

Harry shook his head. "Only a few of us have permission. A special bypassing spell is laced into my badge." He held up his Head Auror's badge for them to see. 

"Alright, so what is this place?" Asked Remus.

Harry checked his watch, it was barely 11am; the meeting he'd left was probably still in session. "I can tell you as we walk," He said. "But I should try and get back to a meeting that's going on now."

"That's fine," Remus said.

"Don't you need to call Hermione?" George asked Harry. "I can start filling them in while you do."

Harry smiled. "Yeah, I'd forgotten about that. Thanks, man."

The group began to walk with George in the lead, Harry holding up the rear, and Remus and Dora in between them. While George led the tour, Harry pulled out his cell phone and dialed Hermione's number, as was the protocol for these missions. He realized as the phone rang that he'd forgotten to call the day before when he brought his parents back and Hermione hadn't called him out on it, for which he was thankful. He made a mental note to apologize later just as Hermione answered.

"Hello?" Her voice called through the phone.

"Hey," Harry said quietly so as not to disturb George. "Just wanted to say we're back in one piece."

"Oh! That's good!"

"Yeah. Am I interrupting a meeting?"

"No, actually. We just finished."

Harry lowered his voice even more. "Could you keep my parents in there?"

Hermione paused. "Sure, hold on." Her next sentence was muffled, but Harry could hear her call out to his parents. "They'll stay."

"Thanks, 'Mione. We'll be right there."

"See you in a minute."

"See ya," Harry said. He hung up and put his phone away. At this point they were passing through the common area and George was explaining what each hallway led to. Harry offered to take over, but George was having fun. 

"His commentary is really helping," Remus chuckled.

Harry smiled and continued to walk at the back of the group. A few minutes later they arrived at the door to the conference room and George made a few closing remarks as if he was representing a tour company. Harry laughed as he moved to the front and opened the door wide enough to peek inside. Only Hermione, his parents, and Regulus remained in the room. When Harry opened the door wider and stepped in, his parents rushed towards him 

James nearly smothered him in a hug; Lily quickly followed suit. Harry did his best to wrap his arms around both of them. A minute later James pulled back and took Harry's face in his hands. "Everything go alright?" He asked.

Harry took a moment to take in his parent's concerned looks. "Yeah, mostly," he said, smiling so they wouldnt worry. 

"Mostly?" Lily asked, the concern in her voice rising.

"Well the Death Eaters got away, but look at the bright side."

"What's the bright side?" James asked.

Harry stepped aside so they could see Remus, who he now saw was trying _very_ hard to keep it together. His face was pale, his hand was clasped over his mouth, and a few tears had already made their way down his cheeks. 

James, on the other hand, acted very quickly. He ran to Remus and tackled him in a tight hug that nearly pulled them both to the floor. The two clung to each other, sobbing, as if it was the end of the world. 

Harry turned his attention to his mother who, like him, had tears in her eyes. As soon as Remus pulled the _slightest_ bit away from James, she ran over to join the hug. Harry watched, smiling, as the joyful reunion took place. Moments later, he felt Hermione place a hand on his shoulder as she appeared next to him.

"I don't mean to interrupt..." She began.

"You're fine," Harry assured her. He wiped under his glasses with his sleeve. "You need my report?"

"You can just tell me."

Harry told her about the Death Eaters they'd bumped heads with, how they tried to trick Remus and Dora into believing that Hogwarts was their territory, and the fight they put up afterwards.

"So they didn't _attack_ Hogwarts, but..."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "This is fishy."

"Put me in, then," Voiced Regulus, who had apparently been listening the whole time. 

Harry turned to him. "You're nuts."

"I'm ready," Regulus insisted.

"Are you sure?"

James, Remus, and Lily had now begun to listen in. "What's going on?" James asked.

"At some point we want to have Regulus be a spy in Malfoy Manor," Harry explained. "But I just don't think now is the right time."

"You said it yourself," Regulus protested. "The Death Eaters were _at Hogwarts_! Something is gonna happen and we need to find out what it is-"

"They didn't breach the deal, Regulus," Harry countered. "I can't put you at risk on a _possible_ suspicion."

"But-"

"I was there. They showed no desire to attack Hogwarts. We can't go after them yet."

"So we can't catch their plans before something _does_ happen?"

"I never said that. We have surveillance measures in place to catch any activity; sending in a spy is _way_ too dangerous right now."

"Harry, I'm _related_ to them!"

"So was Sirius." Harry's voice was cold. He knew what Sirius had gone through in that house as a child, what was stopping the same people from doing worse to Regulus as an adult if he got caught?!

Regulus opened his mouth, but no words came out. 

"You know what they do to traitors, Regulus." Harry tried to keep his voice from breaking. "It's my job to make sure they can't do it to you, too."

Regulus was mad. He clenched his jaw and stared right at Harry. "You send me in, or I go myself."

"Regulus-"

"No. I'm going. You can either make sure I make it out alive or leave me alone. It's your choice; you don't want my death on your hands? Choose." With that, Regulus began to leave the room.

"Regulus!" Harry called after him.

Regulus stopped at the door and turned around. "What?"

"Meet me back here after lunch; we'll discuss a plan of action."

"Good." Regulus continued to leave.

"And Regulus,"

He turned again. " _What?"_

"Don't twist my arm like that again."

"Don't use my brother to make a point." Regulus left the room.

Harry kept his composure for a few seconds, then his face softened. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I shouldn't have said that."

"It was harsh," James said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But you made a good point. I definitely still don't know everything that's going on but I can tell a spy mission is incredibly risky."

"You need to plan this very carefully," Hermione warned him. 

"I will," Harry said. 

\--------------------------------------

When Harry and the others arrived in the cafeteria for lunch, Regulus was already sitting at their usual spot. Harry wasn't hungry, so he made a beeline for the table. 

"Hey," he said, standing a bit behind Regulus.

Regulus turned around in his seat. "Hi."

"I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier."

"You were right though."

"That doesn't make it okay."

Regulus smiled. "I appreciate your concern, it just stung a little. No biggie."

"We're good?"

"We're good, kid. Go get something to eat."

"Not hungry," Harry said. As soon as he sat down, he heard a scream from near the entrance. Both Harry and Regulus stood up and took out their wands, but they quickly realized the scream wasn't on eof terror; just inside the doorway stood Ron, back from his supply mission, with his brother Fred who seconds later was tackled by George and the rest of the Weasleys. Harry supposed one of them had been the source of the screaming. Harry grinned as Ron detached himself from the hug and walked towards him.

"Dude," Harry began.

"Yeah," Ron said, tears flowing freely down his face. 

"This is amazing!"

"Well, it's not like I got my parents back-"

"Woah there, don't play Trauma Olympics with me. He's your brother! That's big!"

"Yeah," Ron said, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess it is."

Harry laughed. "Go spend time with your family, don't worry about your mission report until tomorrow."

Ron smiled and walked back to the table where his family was sitting and chatting happily. 

The rest of lunch passed quickly; and afterwards Harry and Regulus met to discuss his mission. He'd be gone for a week or two and was instructed not to return early unless something _very_ bad was going to happen. Or worse, if it already had. Harry gave Regulus a replica of a pin he owned engraved with the Dark Mark; the replica was laced with the same spell as Harry's badge that allowed him to apparate in and out without having to hit security. Given the gravity of the mission, Harry decided it was best to give Regulus this power. 

"You'll leave tomorrow morning," Harry said, helping Regulus collect all of the files and other papers they'd looked at. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"No, but I need to be."

Harry stopped moving. "Regulus..."

"You and I both know how bad this can get, okay? I need to go."

Harry gave him a stern look. 

Regulus sighed and took the papers that Harry was holing. "If by some miracle you guys find Sirius while I'm out, tell him I'm literally anywhere else. He'll flip his shit if he knows what I'm doing."

"Yeah, I'll make sure everyone knows."

Regulus thanked him, made sure he had all of the papers, and left. Harry waited unil he was gone before letting out a long sigh. He put his head in his hands and pulled at his hair. A few tears fell from his eyes. _The stress,_ Harry thought, _of keeping everyone alive and safe is going to kill me before I kill_ any _of the Death Eaters._

\------------------------------------------------

_No windows, solid door, no bed. The floor is too cold, he thought, I can't sleep and yet I can't stay awake. My body hurts._

_His eyes forced themselves open. He looked down at himself. Bruises covered any visible skin. His stomach growled ferociously. He had food; but barely any. The chains on his wrists allowed him to just reach the small plate near the door. His arms ached too much to move them. He tasted his own blood and spit instead._

_He heard footsteps outside and the door opened. The light from outside blinded him. A tall, stocky figure stepped inside. The figure raised its fist. He shut his eyes. The blow landed._

_——————————————————————-_

**AN:  
So that last bit.... wow. Comment who you think that was!**

**Anyways:**

**Okay I’m still working out how this site operates but thank you so much for the reads, comments, and kudos so far! I mainly operate off of Wattpad but this book should update on both websites within minutes of each other (if that makes any sense). The next chapter should be up by Monday? We’ll see. In the meantime, happy reading!**


	10. Spy on the Inside

The next morning Regulus woke up, or rather stopped trying to sleep, at 6am. He picked up his packed bag, put on an outfit that showed the _least_ signs of joining a rebellion, and picked up a small breakfast on his way to the compound's entrance. As he fiddled with the pin given to him the day before, he saw Harry and Dora waiting at the end of the corridor. He walked up to them, very aware of their concerned looks. 

"Is this my farewell party?" Regulus asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"I wanted to make sure you're ready," Harry said. "One last check won't hurt anybody."

"And neither will calling this off," Dora added. "There are other, safer, ways to do this sort of thing."

Regulus laughed a little and pulled Dora into a side hug. "I'm ready," he said to both of them. "I know what to do. As much as Kreacher dropping the ball about my betrayal annoys me, right now it gives us a huge advantage; and I'll be damned if we don't use it."

Harry looked at him as if he'd just signed his own death warrant; but also as if he understood Regulus' decision. Dora, on the other hand, had her head buried in his chest.

"I can't lose you again." Her voice shook with the intensity of a small earthquake. 

"You won't," He assured her, managing a small smile. Though truth be told, seeing his cousin cry broke Regulus' heart in two. From what he heard about the past 20 years, she'd been through so much more than anyone, especially her, deserved. 

Abruptly Harry's expression changed as if someone else had entered the corridor. Regulus turned his head; walking towards them was Remus, obviously bleary-eyed and holding a half-asleep Teddy in his arms. When he noticed that they were looking, he smiled wearily. Upon reaching the other three, Remus put a gentle hand on Dora's shoulder. Teddy stirred slightly and held a small arm out to his mother.

"This little guy-" Remus glanced down at his son, "-woke me up because mom apparently _left_. I figured there was only one place she'd be this morning." He looked at Regulus and sighed. "Do us a favor and come back in one piece."

All Regulus could do was nod and look down at his watch. "I should go," he said. In response, Dora tightened her grip. Regulus managed to push her away just enough to look her in the eyes. "I'm coming back," he said to her, wiping a few tears off of her cheek. "That's a promise I intend to keep." 

She nodded and gave him one last tight hug before stepping back. Remus put his free hand on Regulus' shoulder. No words came out of his mouth, but Regulus knew what he meant. It was the same thing everyone had been telling him since the mission was announced the afternoon before. " _Be careful. You know what they do to traitors. It doesn't matter if you share their blood. After all, look what they did to your brother._ " 

Regulus and Harry exchanged one last nod, and suddenly Regulus had apparated to a dense forest. He looked around, catching his bearings. His eyes settled on a large mansion about 100 yards to his left. _Malfoy Manor,_ he thought. _Long time, no see._ Nervously gripping the handle of his bag, he walked towards it; running the plan through his head on repeat before he entered an environment in which a single thought in the wrong direction could get you killed.

When he reached the door, Regulus used a pattern of knocks that his parents had taught him back in the 70's. This particular series was supposed to signal that the knocker was a Death Eater or an ally; and it was so secretly passed between its potential users that it was enough to negate the use of any other security measures. Regulus hoped that it was still at least recognized by the Manor's residents.

Just then the door swung open to reveal none other than Fenrir Greyback on the other side. Regulus had seen and talked with him enough times for the two to _know_ each other; but they were by no means friendly. It was public knowledge among the Death Eaters that Greyback had targeted the _children_ of his enemies and turned most of them into werewolves; Regulus was one of those who thought it was atrocious. Immorality aside, Sirius had told him enough about Remus, one of Greyback's victims, and his transformations to know the kind of torture he'd been put through. That alone was enough to make Regulus want to sock Greyback in the jaw. But it wasn't the time for that; he'd find a way later.

"Regulus?" Greyback asked.

He nodded and forced a smile. "Been a while, Fenrir."

"You used the knock."

"Has it been outlawed since I died or something?" Regulus tried to keep his voice level, but Greyback's apparent confusion implied that he might've already screwed up big time. The thought made him even more nervous.

"No." Greyback shook his head as if to clear a distracting thought. "I just still haven't gotten used to seeing people that died so long ago."

"Well, you should." Regulus tried to keep the conversation lighthearted. "Can I come in? I've been trying to get here for about a week now. Stupid blood traitors kept trying to attack me." To prove his completely fabricated story, Regulus pointed to a scar that was forming over an open wound on his right cheek. He'd gotten it three days ago during a training mishap when he lost his grip on a small sword. 

Greyback stepped aside to let him in. "You'll have to talk to Lucius or Bellatrix to get a room here." 

The notion that Bellatrix was at least partially in charge didn't surprise Regulus in the slightest. But Lucius? From the years that he'd spent in the same house and just two years apart, Lucius didn't really give off the impression of being 'leadership material.' He was more of a soldier, if anything.

"I'll talk to them," Regulus said. "Thanks, Fenrir." He turned away, shuddering internally, and walked further into the Manor to find his cousin. Though she was a crucial part of his plan to seem innocent to the Death Eaters, the prospect of looking his brother's killer in the eye was nauseating. 

On his way to the the innermost areas of the Manor Regulus passed no less than hundreds of men, women, and children in black robes; some of whom he recognized, most of whom he didn't. It was apparent that since his death at the near-beginning of their uprising, the Death Eaters had gained an immense following. A few of those who recognized him waved and shouted his name in a greeting way too pleasant for some racist genocidal maniacs. To keep his cover, Regulus waved back and said hello as he passed; halfheartedly promising to catch up with them later. 

Regulus spotted Bellatrix a few minutes later leaving the Manor's 'conference room' with a bunch of other Death Eaters, including Lucius. _Two birds with one stone,_ he thought, _nice._

"Oh Bella!" Regulus called to her, mimicking the way he used to say her name as a child. He hoped the mock cheerfulness in his voice would mask the shaking. "I'm back!"

Bellatrix's face lit up as she turned to face him. "Regulus!" She exclaimed, waking over to him. "How long have you been here? We've missed you!" Her last statement was accentuated by squeezing his cheeks as she'd done when he was a small child. 

"Well," Regulus explained, keeping his composure, "I realized that I was alive last week; but I only got to the Manor ten minutes ago."

"What slowed you down?" Lucius aked. He'd stepped up behind Bellatrix and eyed Regulus with a rather suspicious look.

"Y'know," Regulus said, "Blood traitors." 

Bellatrix made a face and then shook it off. "You're here now, that's what matters. Do you need a room?"

Regulus nodded and Bellatrix motioned at him to follow her. She led them down a few different corridors before stopping in front of a door with a numbered plaque on the wall beside it.

"All yours," She said.

Regulus thanked her and opened the door. The room itself was just that; a single room. There was a bed with just enough linens, a dresser, a nightstand, and a bathroom.

"It's not much," Bellatrix apologized, "But the Manor is a bit overcrowded these days. You know how it is."

"No this is fine," Regulus assured her. "I'm not sharing and I don't have much on me right now. I don't need anything flashy." He set his bag down on the bed and turned back to face her. "I think we've got a bit of catching up to do," he said. "Walk and talk?"

"Absolutely," Bellatrix cheered. They left the room and began to stroll around the Manor. Bellatrix began with the major events that he'd missed, laced with a bit of rather biased and profane commentary that Harry had left out during the recap he'd given Regulus weeks before. It was clear that up until then the Death Eaters had been rather unsuccessful for the most part, and they were _not_ happy about it. By the time she was finished Regulus had lost track of the amount of times she'd threatened to kill Harry. 

"I'm surprised you haven't asked about your brother yet," She said abruptly.

Regulus swore under his breath. "I, uh, figured that he'd be a... taboo subject around here." He was trying very hard to cover his own arse. "Given that he's a traitor and all." Those last words left a bad taste in his mouth.

"No," Bellatix said calmly. "At least I won't withhold anything from you. Ask away."

Regulus hesitated, then asked her, "Have you heard anything about Sirius lately?"

She smiled and told him everything that Harry had. Regulus wasn't surprised when she treated Peter's betrayal and his framing of Sirius like it was a victory for them. As if Sirius posed such a danger to the Death Eaters and finally been _eliminated_. Regulus tried to keep a straight face until-

"I killed him," Bellatrix said.

Regulus looked her in the eye, feigning shock.

"I have to be honest with you, Reg. I did it. I don't really care if that affects the way you think of me because, in my opinion, he completely deserved it; but I do feel that I owe you the truth." 

At this point, they had stopped walking. Regulus was trying very hard not to burst into tears and/or punch Bellatrix. He took a deep breath. "I appreciate your honesty."

"And I appreciate your levelheadedness," She said. "At any rate-"

"Regulus!" A voice shouted from down the hall. When he turned towards the sound, he saw his parents running towards him with open arms. 

"Mother! Father!" Regulus forced a smile at them and returned their hugs as they crushed him. His mother sobbed into his shoulder and his father into his hair. Regulus cried too, but his tears were for Sirius; as his brother was the only one he could think about with anything other than intense hatred. When they pulled apart, all three Blacks had splotchy faces.

"Never do that again!" Walburga scolded him. 

"We know how dedicated you were to becoming a Death Eater," Orion continued, "But that doesn't mean you had to go out and prove it to us without telling anyone! When Kreacher told us you'd been killed by those... those _blood traitors,_ we were heartbroken. One of us could have gone with you, Regulus."

Regulus was now genuinely shocked. Not only had Kreacher _not_ told his parents what he'd _actually done,_ but he'd told them a complete _lie_! A lie so far from the truth that his parents thought he was _that_ dedicated! He made a mental note to thank Kreacher for the new advantage. 

Regulus assured his parents that he would never do such a thing again. He spent the rest of the day getting a tour of the Manor, which yeilded absolutely _nothing_ of value, and catching up with nearly every relative he saw. By that evening's dinner he had been given a training schedule and a low-ranking position amongst the inner workings of the Death Eaters. He was by no means in the _inner_ inner circles, where he'd need to be to have access to the information he needed, but where he was gave him a much bigger head start than he anticipated. All he had to do from here was not look suspicious and pitch a few good ideas every now and then. Hopefully he'd move up enough in two weeks to be able to return to the Joint Forces. 

That night, as Regulus climbed into bed, he thought about how much he'd have to endure in the coming days, about the lengths to which he'd have to go to help his friends, about how he was going to eventually duck out of the Manor, and most of all about Sirius; whom his heart ached for most of all.

\----------------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello there! So I have bad news, and a ton of good news. The bad news is that this chapter is turning out to be WAY longer than anticipated (for my readers on ao3, it looks a LOT longer on Wattpad. Sorry if I'm cutting you guys short- I tend to cap chapters around 2100 words if they go long); so to not overwhelm you guys I've broken it in half. The good news, of which there is plenty, is thus:**

**I now have even _more_ chpaters planned for y'all! The next one could be out as soon as tomorrow night, or as late as, say, next Tuesday. Who knows. FYI because I had to break this chapter up the next one will continue to follow Regulus. It makes far more sense for the storyline.**

**More good news! My school year is officially OVER which means more! Time! For! Writing!!! YAY!**

**Anyway... thank you guys SO much for your continued support! As always, I love reading your comments, suggestions, and questions! I'll see y'all soon but in the meantime, happy reading!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


	11. Bitter Reunion

Regulus had spent a week so far and Malfoy Manor, gaining the trust and proving his 'allegiance' to the higher-ups within the Death Eaters. He'd been able to get a little information about their plans through eavesdropping and overhearing casual conversations; but what he got was mostly in the form of context-required hints. Still, he recorded each and every one meticulously in a small notebook that he carried around in his pocket. When no one was looking Regulus would quickly take it out and scribble down what he'd heard. At night he studied the notes and tried to make sense of them. Some were easier to decipher than others. 

As of now, it seemed, the Death Eaters wanted to begin increasing patrols and cracking down on anything rebellious, but those actions didn't take Regulus at all by surprise. He hoped that in the next few days Bellatrix, who didn't seem at all suspicious of him, would let him in on a few secrets. 

But things took a turn for the _much_ worse one afternoon when Regulus was walking back from a particularly _grueling_ training session when he spotted a short and rather fat man peering through a window on a door at the end of a hallway he was passing. Something told him that he _needed_ to find out what was in that room. When the man stopped looking and turned away, he locked eyes with Regulus.

"Well hello there," The man greeted him. "I heard through the grapevine that you'd come home. Welcome back."

Regulus hadn't recognized him until then because he looked _so_ different, but the man he was now staring at was none other than _Peter Pettigrew._ It was safe to say that he'd aged the worst of his ex-best friends; his hair was patchy and unbrushed, his clothes were unwashed, and his face could only be described as... rat-like. Regulus' blood boiled at the thought of all the pain Peter had caused, but he used his suprise to his advantage. _I'm not supposed to know any more than what Bella told me,_ he thought.

"Peter," Regulus said, "I forgot for a second that you're with us now. Uh... I heard you've done wonders."

Pettigrew smiled at him. "Why thank you," he said. "My loyalty is to your family, after all."

Regulus tried not to visibly cringe. "I should, uh, get back to my room and change," he said, beginning to walk backwards. "Just came back from training, I'm sure you know how it is."

"Were you not going in my direction?" Pettigrew asked.

"Oh, no." Regulus had stopped walking backwards to avoid suspicion. "I was passing through that hallway-" He pointed to where he'd come from. "-when I saw you. This 'hello' was a quick detour."

"Oh." Pettigrew's face scrunched up like a rat sniffing for table scraps. "Well then, hopefully I'll see you later. I think we could be great friends."

Regulus tried to suppress the vomit that came up his throat and forced a feeble, "Yeah, let's talk sometime," before turning around and walking back into the other hallway. He ducked around the corner and stayed there, peeking back to see when Pettigrew would leave. 

As if the interaction had given him reason to worry, Peter stared down the hallway in the direction that Regulus had left. He waited for a few minutes, then took one last look into the room, grinned, and turned to leave. Thankfully, he didn't walk in Regulus' direction. 

Regulus kept careful watch of his surroundings and waited for five minutes before taking action. Then he stood upright and walked down the hallway, staying on the left side so that if Pettigrew was still there, he wouldn't be able to see Regulus from down the adjoining hallway. When he reached the corner he took out his wand and peeked around it to make sure he wasn't being watched. After that he checked his surroundings once more. Confident in his momentary solitude, he walked up to the door and looked through the small window. What he saw inside made his heart stop.

**TW: Descriptions of badly beaten people, imprisonment, mentions/implications of past/current abuse; another barrier will mark the end of this section and future writing will provide any essential info that was missed!!!!!**

Sirus was slumped over against a stone wall, arms held halfway up by chains attached to the wall and clasped around his wrists. His face was obstructed by a mess of long black hair; matted as if he hadn't brushed it in weeks. His clothes were tattered and dirty. Any visible patches of skin were badly cut and bruised. Patches of dry and wet blood stained his clothes, his skin, and the floor around him. 

Regulus had to take a step back. A mix between a sob and a scream escaped his lips. He covered his mouth and began to hyperventilate, backing up against the wall opposite the door. He stood- or rather half-stood- there, paralyzed for what felt like an hour. Time felt like it had stopped and was simultaneously going throusands of miles an hour. When he was finally able to collect himself just enough Regulus pushed himself off of the wall and walked back to the door. His shaking hand felt for the doorknob while his watery eyes refused to leave his brother. To his surprise, the room was unlocked. He paused. Had Pettigrew left it that way on purpose? Was this a trap? He took one last look around the hallway to make sure no one was coming, then pushed the door open.

Sirius reacted immediately to hearing the door open. He jerked away from the door and moved himself as far as the chains would let him. When he couldn't move any further he curled up into a ball and put his head on his knees. Regulus swore he heard a few whimpers come from his brother. The sight shattered his heart into a million tiny pieces.

For a few more seconds Regulus couldn't move. "Sirius?" His voice was quiet and shook with the intensity of a large earthquake.

Sirius' head raised itself slightly. Regulus called to him again, "Sirius?" This time his voice broke at the end. His knees nearly gave out and he sunk to them beside his brother. 

Sirius turned his head and Regulus gasped. His face was bruised and bloody; several scars were forming on his cheeks and forehead. He had two black eyes, his nose was broken, and his mouth looked like it was filled with blood. His eyes widened and he stared openmouthed at Regulus. The brothers locked eyes for a few seconds before Sirius turned his full body to face Regulus. Regulus reached a cautious and trembling hand to cup Sirius' face. 

"Reg," Sirius croaked.

Without a word Regulus threw himself onto his brother. He wrapped his arms tightly around Sirius' and sobbed into his shoulder. He felt Sirius try to hug back but the chains were _just_ short enough that he couldn't. All he could do instead was lean his head against Regulus' and cry. 

A few minutes later Regulus regained his awareness of where he was and how easily he could be caught. He knew that he couldn't spend much time with his brother but couldn't bear the thought of leaving him with these _monsters_. He pulled back and held Sirius' face in his hands. Both men now had tears streaming down their faces. "How long have you been here?" He asked, his voice breaking at every word.

Sirius' voice was faint and groggy. "What day is it?"

"August 29th."

Sirius paused. "A few weeks?"

Regulus felt the shards of his already shattered heart split themselves into even smaller pieces. "How-"

"I don't remember. I don't want to. What are you doing here, Reg? If they find you with me-"

"No, Sirius," Regulus moved one hand to squeeze his shoulder. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I'm a spy. I'm with the Order! I'm here because apparently no one really knows that I died for-" He paused to hold back a sob. "-that I died trying to _take down Voldemort!"_

Sirius' face grew paler than it already was. His voice was barely audible. " _You what?!_ "

Regulus nodded. "But the Death Eaters don't know! I'm here to collect info and they don't suspect a thing! I'm scheduled to go back next week but-"

"But what?"

"I'm getting out of here as soon as I can now. I can't leave you with- with..."

"Our parents?"

Regulus froze. His voice found a way to shake even more. "Have they been in here?" 

Siruis nodded grimly. "Who do you think gave me most of these?"

Regulus fought back more tears. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner."

"You didn't know, did you?"

"No! I found out because that _rat_ was-"

"Then you have nothing to apologize for." Sirius' hand was now able to rest itself on Regulus' head. "But I'll be damned if they catch you in here with me. Go be safe, Reg. I'm not your priority; your safety is."

"You _are_ my prioity."

Sirius managed a weak smile. "Get out before Peter comes back. This shit is his drug for some reason."

Regulus nodded and gave Sirius one last hug before standing up and dusting himself off. "I love you," he said. 

"I love you too, Reg. Stay safe."

**\-----------------------------END TW!!!-------------------------------------**

Regulus left the room and closed the door. He looked around to make sure no one was there and ran back to his room. When he got there he slammed the door shut behind him, threw down his things, and screamed into his pillow. He sat on his bed and sobbed for Sirius. When he couldn't cry anymore he sat there, in silence, and stared at the wall. He'd found Sirius, but at what cost? What if he'd never even come to Malfoy Manor in the first place? How long would Sirius have had to suffer before anyone found him? Regulus felt sick to his stomach. He needed a plan.

_I can't leave today,_ Regulus thought, _It's too abrupt. Pettigrew might raise the alarm. I have to wait._ Though he didn't like it, he planned to wait three days before making a move to leave. He knew that they would be the hardest days of his life; to avoid raising any suspicions he couldn't go anywhere near Sirius. He'd have to act like he didn't know, which would be a million times harder in front of his parents than anyone else. On the third morning he'd ask Bellatrix permission to get his belongings from Grimmuald place. Hopefully she wouldn't think anything of it.

As Regulus suspected, the next few days were _brutal_. To avoid conversation as much as possible, he spent more time in training taking out his anger on punching bags and test dummies. Oddly enough, this worked in his favor; the higher-ups got wind of his accidental progress in the training room and talked to him about raising his rank to be part of the inner circle. He forced a smile and graciously accepted their offer, feigning excitement at the new opportunity. 

When he got stuck in conversations with relatives he remained as quiet as possible; his excuse was that he was still getting used to being back and everything that had happened since he died. They accepted it and moved on. But every night when Regulus returned to his room, he cried himself to sleep thinking of how Sirius was doing; all alone in the room with no windows.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

When the third morning finally came, Regulus was so anxious that he skipped breakfast and sought out Bellatrix instead. He found her talking to her sister, Narcissa Malfoy.

"Bella!" He called out to her.

She turned around and smiled at him. "Hello Reggie, how can I help you?"

"Well, given my promotion I figure that I'll be staying here pretty much 24/7, yes?"

"Yes..."

"Well then, I was wondering if I could get permission to go and get more of my belongings from Grimmuald Place. My room here is looking a little... bare."

Bellatrix's face lit up. "Oh, of course! Will you want any help?"

"Oh no," Regulus answered quickly, "No thank you. It might take me two or three days though, is that alright?"

"That's fine. Stay safe, dear."

Regulus thanked her and almost sprinted back to his room. On his way he found and told his parents, who were less than pleased but let him go after he promised to return safely. Back in his room he stuffed a smaller bag than the one he'd brought with a few things. He desperately wanted to see Sirius again, but he knew that was too much of a risk to take when he was _so_ close to winning. 

Regulus was out of Malfoy Manor just 20 minutes later. He walked the 100 yards back to the spot he'd apparated to just a week earlier. He took one last look at Malfoy Manor before disapparating. He was going to save his brother, no matter the cost.

\-----------------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello there! Well, that's the second half; out within 24 hours because I have nothing else to do yet and _needed_ to get this out. I hope you guys liked it! I'll try to have the next one out by mid-next week.**

**I also hope that the TW I put in helped those who needed it. If you had to skip the section and feel that you're still missing a plotpoint, please comment and I'll recap it for you without any possible triggers! I want everyone to be able to read the story in a way that does _not_ negatively affect their mental health.**

**At any rate, thank you guys so much for your comments, suggestions, and questions! Your support means _everything_ to me; seriously. I'll see you soon, happy reading!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


	12. My Brother's Keeper

Since Regulus had left, James spent several anxious days going about his new life with the joint forces. Harry had delivered on his promise to fill him and Lily in via a pensive; and with the help of Remus, Ron, and Hermione the past few days included further insights into Harry's past. 

But most of what James saw in that pensive was, to put it mildly, appaling. Every year that his son was at Hogwarts he had to face evils that James couldn't even dream of. Though he had plenty of allies Harry's life seemed to be one traumatic series of events after another. James spent most of his time in the pensive looking on in pure shock; he, Lily, and Harry often held onto each other for support. And when the days came to a close James curled up in his bed with Lily and either silently cried himself to sleep or couldn't bear to close his eyes; because the traumas that his son had faced felt like fresh wounds on James' psyche. 

Other than the pensive, James had spent the past week in his new job with Remus, Fred Weasely, and George Weasely in the Ammunition and Weapons Division. The three of them were tasked with taking old blueprints and design plans for harmless pranks and turning them into lethal and semi-lethal weapons and defense mechanisms. Though George, who James had come to learn was part of the twin-prankster-duo during Harry's years at Hogwarts, was initially in charge of the department he stepped down to spend more time on the hands-on work and with his recently returned twin. Thus, Remus was put in charge by a unanimous vote. He became the representative at meetings while James and the Twins spent more time working on their weaponry. And aside from the haunting images from the pensive, James was having a relatively good and peaceful time. 

All of that changed the morning of September 1st.

Breakfast had just ended and a Department Head meeting was about to begin. James, despite not being a department head, was in the meeting room; he was finishing up a conversation with Remus about supplies for their next batch of ammo. They had just finished talking when, out of the blue, Regulus burst into the room. It looked like he'd sprinted from the entrance all the way there. He was hyperventilating and distraught; James could see tears flowing down his face as he tried to speak, but no words came out. Instead he nearly collapsed from lack of air. 

Harry rushed over to his side. "What the hell happened, Regulus?" He asked. "You're a week early what-" He moved Regulus to sit against a wall. By this time Dora had also rushed to his side and others, including James, gathered nearby. 

Regulus continued to cough and sputter. Ron appeared at James' side, pushing his way through the crowd, with a water bottle and a trash can. "Looks like he could use these," he said to Harry, holding out the items. Harry thanked him and gave the items to Regulus; but he pushed them away and tried to speak.

"NO-" He waved his arms frantically, as if he needed them to formulate his next words. "No! They've got him! They've- they're hurting him! We've- we- HELP!" He grabbed Harry's shirt by the collar. "Help him!"

Harry, who clearly had dealt with people grabbing him by the collar of his shirt before, remained calm, yet confused. He took Regulus' hands off of him and held them. "Regulus," He said, "Whatever is going on is clearly _very_ important; but I can't help you until you can talk clearly. So take your time; breathe, drink water, calm down. Whatever it is can wait another two minutes."

Regulus, evidently, did not think so. "It can't!" He pleaded, his voice filled with anguish. "He can't wait! He needs- we have to- he needs help!"

Harry took a deep breath. "Who is _he_ , Regulus?"

"SIRIUS!"

James felt his heart stop and all of the blood drain from his face. Whatever Regulus said next was lost as James' brain distorted everything around him. His vision went blurry, words sounded like they were being heard from underwater. He didn't even notice that he'd started swaying until he felt Lily force him to sit down. At least he was pretty sure that was Lily. Whoever it was tried to get his attention; but he couldn't move a muscle. 

"James. James!" Lily's harsh wispers somehow pulled him out of whatever state of shock he'd plunged into. He blinked twice. Lily was kneeling in front of him, holding his face in her hands. "Are you alright?" She asked him.

"No-" James shook his head to refocus his thoughts. "-no Lils my brother is- where's Reg?"

Lily looked up and over his shoulder. He turned in his chair and saw that Regulus and Harry had moved to the front of the room. The rest except for James and Lily had followed suit.

"No one- no one else mentioned it to me," Regulus was saying. "And if Pettigrew thought I'd seen anything he didn't ask me about it."

That last name hit a nerve. "Peter?" James asked, standing up.

Heads turned to face him. "Y- Yeah," Regulus said, trying _very_ hard not to break down. "Yeah he was there."

"Why would he think you'd seen anything?" Remus asked. Somehow he looked ten times worse than James felt but was still standing upright. Clearly Peter was still a sore subject for him, too. 

"He was there," Regulus explained, "Staring into the room when I passed that hallway. I wouldn't have even stopped to check if he han't-" He paused to keep himself from crying. 

Harry put a hand on his shoulder, clearly trying to calm him down; but the truth is that Harry seemed to be the most angered by Peter's name being mentioned. Though likely only noticeable to James, because of their shared features, his jaw was clenched and his mouth was shut tight; though it also looked like he was trying to control his expressions for the sake of posterity. He stood up, sighed, and faced the room. "We need a plan. A comprehensive, rescue-mission style plan. If I don't leave until tomorrow, so be it. We can't fail here."

James shook his head. "Wait, so when that _thing_ -" he gestured to the alarm panel "-beeps, you guys just run out not knowing what the hell you're going up against; but now when you know exactly what's going on you wanna sit back and _plan_?!"

"Dad-"

"His life is in danger and has been for _weeks_ and you're gonna make him _wait_?!"

"When those little alarms go off, theres about a 50% chance I'm gonna run into one or two Death Eaters," Harry said. "And evenn then, its gonna be in a fairly open space with lots of places to hide if the situation gets out of control. Going into Malfoy Manor is gonna be like walking into a hornets nest with little protection. There's a 100% chance of running into numerous Death Eaters and nowehere to hide. If we screw up, we're dead and so is Sirius. And before you say he's already dead... he's not. The horrifying truth here is that from what Regulus has told us, they have every intention of keeping him alive so they can..." Harry didn't dare finish that sentence, but James knew what he meant. Harry took a deep breath and kept going. "As Head Auror I have to make the call that is most likely to give us the best case scenario ending, and this is it. With all due respect, I'm not asking for anyone to approve that decision except Hermione."

The crowd in the conference room was silent. James couldn't speak. He knew Harry was right, but how long did Sirius really have?

Harry turned to Hermione, who was looking grimly at her feet. "'Mione?" 

She looked up, paused, then nodded. "Make your plans carefully," She said quietly. "But your father is right, we don't have all the time in the world."

Harry nodded in agreement and addressed the crowd again. "I'm gonna need everone's help for this; even if you aren't a Department Head. Let's sit down and get to work."

Everyone in the room took their seats, save for Harry who had given his up to Regulus. Different heads of departments began pulling out resources and discussing amongst themselves what they could do to help. At the front of the room, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Regulus gathered in front of a blackboard and talked in hushed tones, presumably about the physical ins and outs of Malfoy Manor. 

James felt Lily's hand cover his own. He turned to face her, who was still looking at him like he might have a panic attack at any second. "No one is going to tell you off for taking a break if you need it," she said.

James paused for a moment and then shook his head. "I need to help."

"Alright," Lily said. "I'd go talk with Remus about what your department can do."

He nodded and forced a small smile. "I'll do that," he said, getting up and kissing the top of her head before walking over to where Remus was in conversation with Neville. He joined and they discussed the kinds of weapons and supplies that Harry and whoever went with him would need.

About an hour or so later, Harry called for everyone's attention. "Let's hear what people have," He said. "Neville, you're up first."

Neville sat upright. "Given that you won't be able to do much triage on the fly without getting caught, I'd recommend taking with you a few bottles of a painkiller potion as well as something to keep your adrenaline flowing. I'll need the Potions Department to assist with that." Neville's last sentence was accompanied by a stare in the direction of Snape, who James noticed hadn't talked to anyone but himself the entire meeting. 

Snape looked up as if he was a student who had been called on by the teacher because he was sleeping in class. "Yeah, whatever," He said. "Take what you need."

James opened his mouth to say something, but was quickly silenced by a gentile nudge from Remus. "Not now," He muttered.

Instead Harry was the one to call him out. "Is that all of your input, Snape? 'Take what you need?' Is there something else I should be taking?"

"It's an in-and-out rescue mission, what potions are you going to be using?"

"Maybe you could tell me," Harry said, his voice nearing an almost cynical tone, "Considering you're the one here with the most experience in potions... _and_ _with the Death Eaters_."

Snape looked like he wanted to throttle Harry, but decided against it. _Good,_ James thought, _because if that git even moved a single muscle towards Harry I'd have killed him._

"I don't have anything you'll need," Snape said. "Move on."

Harry looked like he wanted to strangle Snape, but maintained his composure. "Alright then, thank you both. Next?"

One by one, each department gave any advice and resources that they thought would help. As for the Ammunition and Weapons Division, Remus offered an assortment of smoke bombs and other devices to be used as distractions and defense mechanisms. By the time everyone was finished Harry had an arsenal.

"This is incredibly helpful," He said. From what Ron, Hermione, Regulus, and I have discussed, we wait until Regulus is back at the Manor tomorrow afternoon with some stuff from Grimmuald place, as he told them he would be. That also gives all of you guys time to prepare what you've suggested we bring. The next morning Ron and I will go in and enter through the back, where Regulus will have left a key during a previous guard shift. From there we sneak around, grab Sirius, and get the hell out. Hopefully we won't have to create any distractions. But if we do, we'll have the right stuff to do it with."

A chorus of quiet agreements erupted around the room. The idea of waiting this long didn't sit right with James, but he knew it made sense. This mission wasn't only to save Sirius, but to protect Regulus as well. If the Death Eaters even _thought_ that he was involved he could be punished _way_ worse than his brother.

Harry concluded the meeting by congratulating everyone for their hard work, but reminding them that their fight was long from over. "This won't be the last time we'll need to infiltrate the Manor like this," He said to them. "And I can tell you that it certainly won't get any easier. The most important thing you can do outside of these efforts is making sure that you and your friends are doing okay, both physically and mentally. We won't have a functioning army if we aren't focusing on ourselves a little, too." And with that, he dismissed everyone to do their jobs and prepare. 

Deep down, James knew that he wouldn't be okay until his brother was safe.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello! Before I get to chapter updates and such, I have a brief message:**

**It's very unlikely that you, dear readers, don't know what's been going on the past few days in the United States right now. Though I know ao3 probably isn't the ideal platform to talk in depth about these issues, it by no means exempts me from speaking my mind.**

**I am not black, but I would be delusional to say that Black Lives do not matter. Black Lives absolutely freaking matter; and the fact that a statement like that is viewed by some as a political debate is absurd. Anyone and everyone should have the right to go about their day without fearing that a cop, or anyone, is going to shoot them for existing. But the phrase is not "All Lives Matter" because All Lives aren't being targeted; Black Lives are being targeted, and that is why we say "Black Lives Matter."**

**I want to keep my statement on here brief; but if you want to hear more from me specifically I am on tiktok (@/ sleep_and_chips (don't ask)), and twitter (@/ jennifer_nehrer) where I have been infinitely more vocal and have provided (via retweets) links to show your support and/or donate. PLEASE if you haven't already, do what you can. Sign a petition, hang flyers around your neighborhood, donate to trusted funds, attend peaceful protests, and/or spread awareness. And by all means, if you need someone to talk to, I'm right here. Thank you.**

**Otherwise...**

**I hope you liked that chapter! It was a bit long and wordy, but I didn't feel that it needed the split-chapter treatment I gave the last one. Correct me if I'm wrong, though. The next chapter will be ACTION PACKED (hopefully), but might also need to be divided into multiple parts; we'll see. It should be out later this week.**

**As always, thank you SO MUCH for your support! We hit 1k reads this week!! I can't solely attribute it to my writing, because you folks are the wonderful readers that appreciate it. So thank you!!! And as usual I love reading your comments, questions, and suggestions. Happy reading!!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**

**(ps bc I completely forgot, HAPPY PRIDE MONTH)**


	13. To the Rescue

The days after Regulus' news seemed to pass slower than any other days in the past few months. Harry spent every moment he could spare in the training rooms running simulations with Ron, and sometimes by himself. When he wasn't in training he spent hours studying the plans that he, Ron, Hermione, and Regulus had written out. Any other time he had, which was sparse, was spent checking in on each department as well as Regulus before he'd left for Grimuald Place and then Malfoy Manor.

Harry found that the hardest check-ins he had to make were to his father and Regulus. And after Regulus had left, Harry had no choice but to sit down with James and talk. 

"He knows what we're doing is the right call," Remus had told him during a visit to their department. James was off testing smoke bombs as a way to take out some anger without storming Malfoy Manor himself. "He's just... overwhelmed. Don't get me wromg, Harry, I am too; I'm just used to it. He's missed quite a bit more than I have."

"Then why isn't my mum like that?" Harry had asked.

Remus smiled and sighed. "She's distraught as well, I'm sure. Some people just... show it differently." He paused. "She's the kind of person to bottle it all up until it's all over."

So Harry found his father one afternoon and they talked. And they cried. More so James than Harry; but these days Harry found that emotion came easier to him, especially around his parents.

And finally, the morning of the mission arrived. Harry had barely been able to sleep the night before, so he was waiting at the entrance of the bunker for a hour or so before Ron arrived.

"Couldn't sleep?" Ron asked.

Harry shook his head. "I'll be fine, though."

Just then, Lily, James, and Remus appeared at the other end of the hallway and walked towards them. 

"I'll give you guys a minute," Ron said.

"No," Remus stopped him. "Stay. You're on this mission, too. We're here to wish you both good luck."

Ron thanked them, but Harry could tell his parents were there for another reason. He stared at them with an inquisitive expression. 

Lily got the message. Abruptly, she pulled Harry into a _very_ tight hug. James joined in, wrapping his arms tightly around both of them. 

"Please stay safe," James whispered. "If you can't..." He took a deep, shaking breath. "If getting him out means we lose you, then don't do it. Please."

Harry pulled back so he could look at his parents. "I'll be careful. You'll see me soon, I promise. I love you guys."

They nodded, teary-eyed, and stepped back. Harry turned and took Ron's hand, waved goodbye, and apparated them both.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry and Ron found themselves in a dense forest. Harry began to look around them in all directions. Eventually he spotted Malfoy Manor about a hundred yards away to his left. He tapped Ron on the shoulder, put a finger to his own lips in a shushing motion, and then gestured to follow him. The two walked quickly yet carefully amongst the trees, following the perimiter of the forest until they reached the back of the Manor. Harry walked to the very edge of the forest and crouched behind a tree trunk. Ron crouched behind the trunk closest to him. 

Standing at the back door of the Manor was a Death Eater that, at least from this distance, Harry did not recognize. He looked like a low-ranking member and relatively easy to take down. One look at Ron told Harry he felt the same way.

Harry took out the Invisibility Cloak from his bag and told Ron to stay put before draping it over himself. Quietly, he made his way over to the Death Eater. When the man turned around, Harry seized the opportunity to grab the man's head from behind and slam it against his knee. The Death Eater went limp and fell to the ground. Hopefully he'd be out for a long time, but not dead. Harry knew that for every Death Eater that died during this mission those who weren't protected as much as the Joint Forces would be the ones to pay. Satisfied, he looked for the key that Regulus should have left. It took him a few minutes but sure enough, a small gold key was waiting for him wedged under a large potted plant near the door.

_Potter,_ Harry thought, amused. _Very clever._

He turned around and motioned for Ron to come over. He did and positioned himself in front of the door with his wand out in front of him. Harry moved to the side of the door opposite the knob and keyhole. He put the key in, turned the lock, and swung the door open towards himself. A few tense seconds passed, but Ron remained there, unharmed. Harry stepped out from behind the door and took out his own wand. The two of them walked inside, closed the door quietly behind them, and swept the corridor around them with their wands to look for any Death Eaters. Seeing none, Harry took the lead and they began their walk to Sirius' room. 

Even though Harry had meticulously studied the rough floor plans given to him and Ron by Regulus for hours, he still found Malfoy Manor to be a never-ending maze. All of the hallways looked as much like each other as he did his father. They walked around, jumping behind randomly placed boxes, into broom closets, or behind the Invisibility Cloak if there was nowhere to go, for a good two hours before any real action happened.

They'd just turned the corner into a new copycat hallway when a set of duble doors opened a few yards away from them and Death Eaters began to spill out. Before Harry could react he felt Ron pull him back around the corner and down to the ground. Harry threw the Cloak over them and they sat there, waiting for the crowd to disperse. But what they heard caught Harry's attention.

"How do we know this'll work?" A voice asked. Harry couldn't quite place it, but it sounded vaguely like Lucius Malfoy. 

"Re _lax_ , dear," A new voice chimed. This one, Harry knew, belonged to Bellatrix. It sent a small chill down his spine. "It worked before, it'll work again."

"But it didn't quite work before, did it? We've brought back a few... _unwanted guests_." 

Harry and Ron exchanged a look under the Cloak. _Brought back? Are they behind the returns?_

"What's a few more blood traitors compared to what we have in store," Bellatrix sneered. "It's just more people for us to control! More to do _whatever_ we want with."

Harry and Ron looked at each other again, this time with a bit of fear. 

Bellatrix and Lucius' dialouge ended there. More quiet conversation ensued between the Death Eaters leaving the room, but all of it was unimportant small talk. Harry and Ron sat still until the last of them had left. When the coast was clear Harry stood up and folded the cloak. He peeked around the corner once more, and dashed into the room with the double doors. 

Harry stopped just inside. He recognized it as the long, open room where Death Eaters held their meetings that he'd seen in plenty of his dreams. It was odd to finally see it in person. 

"What are you doing?!" Ron hissed from behind him. "This isn't part of the plan!" 

Harry turned. "You heard Bellatrix, they're planning something _big_."

"We have Regulus for that! This is an unnecessary risk!"

Harry ignored him and surveyed the room. Sitting on the farther end of the table was a stack of papers. He walked over to them, holding his wand out in case any booby traps had been placed. Upon closer inspection, the stack contained potion ingredients and instructions, lists, and diagrams that looked like battle plans. Harry picked up the stack and shoved it into his bag. He walked back to the front of the room where Ron had gone to stand watch and tapped him on the shoulder. At his signal, they snuck out and continued on their way. Hopefully with these plans Regulus could get out sooner. But how?

Harry and Ron walked for another few minutes before coming across a new hallway... with Peter Pettigrew peering into a window at the end. Harry knew that meant they'd found Sirius, but the sight enraged him so much that his thoughts blurred together. He didn't even notice that he tried to run at Pettigrew until he felt Ron attempt to restrain him by wrapping his arms around Harry's stomach from behind. His thoughts snapped back into focus. 

"Sorry 'bout that," He muttered to Ron. "Thanks for not letting me blow our cover."

Ron smiled. "It's understandable," He muttered back. "Anytime."

The men watched as Pettigrew finished gazing into the window and walked away. _That sick bastard,_ Harry thought, _he'll get what he deserves someday. I'll make sure of that._

A few minutes passed before Harry felt it was safe to walk down the hallway. Even then he and Ron had their wands out and pressed themselves against the left wall so no one would see them coming from the adjoining hallway. When they stopped in front of the door that Pettigrew had been gazing into, Harry paused to prepare himself. If Regulus had described Sirius' current state with any accuracy, it was going to be a very emotional endeavor. 

"If you want," Ron whispered, "I can take care of this and you can be the lookout. You won't have to see anything."

Harry looked at Ron and smiled, grateful for the offer. "No," He said, "But thank you." Harry took a deep breath. "He needs someone he can really trust right now. I'm not saying he doesn't trust you but... especially in this state of mind, he'll recognize me more quickly; if not as me, then as my father." He sighed. "I'll go in first; you come in behind me and close the door. If you can't see down this hallway with it closed you can prop it open _just a bit_. Understood?"

Ron nodded. He took one last look down the hallway they were in. Harry turned the corner and looked down the other hallway. The coast was clear.

Harry took a deep breath, stepped forward, and opened the door. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello!**

**I know, I'm the worst for that cliffhanger. Unfortunately I knew that the chapter would end up wayyyy too long if I kept going (again for those of you reading on ao3 Wattpad reccomends chapters stop at 2000 words, this is about 1800); and I figured that this was the best cutoff point. I'm sorry. On the bright side, the next chapter (which will be fleshed out description-wise depending on how long it turns out to be) should be up tomorrow or the next day! That's three days of updates in a row! Also for those of you who love action, the next chapter will have a fight scene!**

**As always, thank you guys ENORMOUSLY for your support. I adore reading your questions, comments, and suggestions! I'll see you soon; happy reading!**

**Best**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


	14. Escape from Malfoy Manor

_Harry took a deep breath, stepped forward, and opened the door._

**TW: Same as previous chapter; description of bodily harm by beating, near starvation, possible mentions/allusions to current/past abuse. Another bolded line will mark the end of the section.**

What he saw inside the dark, cold cell of a room made him nearly scream. There was Sirius, partially curled up into himself facing away from the door; a move Harry recognized as one that captives used when anyone came into their cell. What prevented Sirius from being completely turned away was that a chain shackled around one of his arms was too short. Instead that arm was held up and out behind him, revealing a red mark on his wrist from being chained up for so long. 

Otherwise, Sirius looked exactly like how Regulus had described him. Every inch of exposed skin was either black and blue or bleeding red. His hair was matted and greasy and covered his face, which Harry didn't need to see to know how awful it must look. Sirius was thin, too; Harry could see every bone in his body very clearly. The clothes he was wearing were tattered and torn and still hung off his thin frame as if they were five sizes too big. A small plate placed a foot or so away from him told Harry that Sirius was being given _just_ enough food to not die of starvation.

"Bloody Hell," Ron blurted as he closed the door behind them. Harry was so caught up in assessing Sirius' injuries that the sudden noise startled him. He jumped at the sound of Ron's voice. 

"Sorry," Ron apologized. "Uhm... he's..."

"Yeah," Harry said. "I... I've got this." He knelt on the floor next to Sirius. His training as an Auror had prepared him to deal with traumatized captives. But when it was someone he loved the training seemed to run away from the front of his mind. He held his hand over Sirius' shoulder, but didn't dare to touch him for fear of startling him and drawing attention. "Sirius," he said softly, doing his best to keep his voice from shaking.

Sirius lifted his head up slowly and turned it to meet Harry's gaze. The two locked eyes, and Sirius' expression changed from that of fear to one of pleasant surprise and relief. He opened his mouth to speak, but Harry pressed a finger to his own lips as a warning to keep quiet. 

"Harry," Sirius whispered. His voice was damaged and raspy, but his face told a different story. Harry could see in his eyes and on his body how much he'd suffered, but the faint smile that arose despite all of it told Harry that Sirius felt immense joy upon seeing him.

Harry couldn't help but smile sadly. "We're gonna get you out of here," he said quietly. Tears began to push themselves out of his eyes.

Sirius adjusted himself so that his whole body faced Harry. The latter tried to stifle a gasp. Sirius' face was covered in cuts and bruises. His shirt was ripped in several places to reveal large gashes on his chest. Harry now noticed several spots of dry blood on the walls and floor around him. 

Sirius frowned at Harry's expression. "Don't look at me like that," He said, raising a weak hand to ruffle Harry's hair. "I'm fine." But the tone behind his voice betrayed him. Harry could tell, more so than physically, that Sirius was _not_ fine. At all.

**END TW. Please note that the rest of the chapter may contain traces (i.e. a phrase or descriptor here and there) of the themes mentioned above.**

Harry distracted himself by beginning to break Sirius' chains. He took Sirius' right wrist and aimed his wand at the cuff. "This might hurt a bit," Harry warned. "But I need you to try and stay quiet. Can you do that?"

Sirius paused as if he had other good options to consider. 

"The alternative is I break the chain up here-" Harry gestured to a part of the chain that was about halfway between Sirius and the handle connecting it to the wall, "-and youll have to walk around with the chains still attached until we can take them off some other way at home."

"I'll be quiet." He clenched his jaw.

Harry nodded and aimed his wand again at the cuff on Sirius' wrist. With a quick swipe-and-jab motion, some sparks flew and the cuff blew apart and fell to the ground. Harry heard Sirus whimper as he moved to the other side. With another flick of his wand, the second cuff was off. 

Sirius held his hands out in front of himself and examined his red wrists. He looked up at Harry, who was now kneeling in front of him. 

Harry put a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "I promise," He said, no longer able to prevent tears from flowing, "That once we leave you'll never have to be in chains or in a room like this _ever_ again." 

Despite his weakened state, Sirius was able to tackle Harry in a tight hug. The two of them cried and held onto each other like it was the end of the world. "I'm so proud of you," Sirius whispered.

"Guys," Ron cut in, "I hate to do this, but the coast is clear. We need to go."

Harry collected himself and stood up. "You're right." He bent down and put his left arm under Sirius' right shoulder and across his back. When he stood up Sirius was right there, leaning on him for support. 

"Can you walk?" Harry asked him.

"I wouldn't rely on it," Sirius answered, though it sounded like every time he moved it hurt. "This is fine."

Harry nodded and looked at Ron, who took one last glance into the hallway. Ron gave a thumbs up and the three of them made their way slowly out of the room and down the hallway. 

"You have any bags here?" Harry quietly asked Sirius as they walked. 

Sirius shook his head. "Didn't have much on me when I came here," He whispered. "I'd been stuck in Grimmuald Place since I died. Y'know, wanted by the Ministry even up there and all. When I woke up one morning and half of my family was downstairs, they just..." He couldn't finish his sentence, but Harry knew. He just wished he could've done anything to help Sirius before. 

The three of them continued to make their way back out of the Manor, ducking behind boxes and into broom closets (accompanied by a rather inappropriate remark from Sirius every time) to avoid being caught. When they were about to pass the double-doored conference room again, they heard a small commotion. Once again they crouched down against the wall and Harry did his best to cover them with the Invisibility Cloak. Fortunately yet Unfortunately, Sirius was now small enough that he didn't add much surface area that the Cloak needed to cover.

"Those were our plans!" Harry heard Bellatrix yell. She sounded positively _livid_ ; it actually made him smile a bit.

"I wasn't the one who left them sitting out in the open!" Lucius yelled back. "This is why I said we needed a storeroom for these things!" 

"We need to think, who would've taken them?"

"Awful coincidence that Regulus showed up last week, don't you think?"

Harry felt Sirius tense up and heard him whimper. Though he didn't show it, Harry became incredibly worried. He needed to find a way to get Regulus out of here as well.

"That's absurd!" Bellatrix countered, taking Harry by surprise. "The boy barely knows what's going on, let alone enough to steal our plans and run away! Besides, you've seen how committed he is."

No one spoke for a minute, then Lucius said, "Whatever. We need to conduct an investigation."

"Agreed."

Harry heard two pairs of footsteps make their way out of the room and then the double doors slam shut. Bellatrix and Lucius walked _right past the three of them_ , but thankfully the Invisibility Cloak kept their cover. They waited until the two disappeared around another corner and kept walking. 

As it was before, it took Harry, Ron, and Sirius another nearly two hours to make it to the hallway that led to the back door of the Manor; but when they heard voices approaching from down that hallway they had to crouch down and take cover. 

Ron turned to Harry, clearly exhausted, and muttered, "If we blow this now, I swear to Merlin himself- woah, mate, you alright?"

Harry looked at him, confused. "Do I look-"

"No, Sirius."

Harry turned his attention to his Godfather. He'd suddenly turned very pale and begun to tremble and hyperventilate. When he looked up at Harry, his eyes pleaded for help.

"Sirius what's wrong?" Harry asked. 

The voices from down the hall were getting closer, and as they did Sirius' shaking got worse. Harry concluded that whatever panic was engulfing Sirius was caused by the voices, meaning...

"He knows them," Harry muttered. "Ron, take him for a sec."

Ron replaced Harry's hold on Sirius and Harry crawled over to the corner. Wand in one hand, he peeked in the direction of the voices. What he saw made him swear and pull back immediately. 

"What?!" Ron asked. "Who is it?!"

"His parents," Harry said, trying to calm himself down, "And Regulus."

"Bloody Hell."

Sirius buried his face into Ron's shoulder and curled back into a ball like the way Harry had found him hours ago. Harry tried to come up with a plan, but Ron beat him to it.

"Might as well get Reg out if we have the plans," Ron said. "And give those pieces of dung what they deserve."

Harry looked at him, amused. "Are we willing to reveal our mission _just_ a bit?"

Ron smiled. "I'll watch Sirius. You go beat the crap out of those sick bastards."

Harry stood up, but Sirius grabbed his pant leg. The two locked eyes and though Sirius couldn't speak Harry knew what he wanted to say. _Stay safe._

"I'll be fine," Harry said. Sirius let go. Harry gathered up the invisibilty cloak and put it away. He turned the corner and came nearly face-to-face with Orion and Walburga Black.

"Who the hell are you?" Orion asked.

"Orion..." Walburga began. "Isn't he... that little twerp Sirius ran off to?"

"Nope," Harry said, his lips curling into an almost arrogant smile. "I'm that 'Harry Potter' bloke you've probably heard Bellatrix whining about. But I do know Sirius; I have a message from him actually."

Harry could see Regulus trying not to lose it behind his parents.

Orion cocked his head like a bird when it's spotted some food. "Oh, you do?"

"Why, yes," Harry said, enjoying himself _very_ much. "Would you like to hear it?"

"Why not," Orion responded, mirroring Harry's worryingly confident smile. "Let's see what you have to say before we turn you in to Bellatrix."

Harry took a deep breath as if he was about to recite a poem. "Well... I think he said... ah, yes!" He cleared his throat. " _Eat shit, Orion._ " 

Before Orion could react, Harry punched him right in the jaw. The impact flung hm back several steps. He yelled in anguish and, forgetting his wand, charged straight at Harry. The latter let the old man collect momentum and used it to fling both of them onto the floor so that Harry was able to roll them both over and end up on top. Nevertheless, he was left a tad dizzy from when his head smacked into the ground seconds earlier. Walburga screamed and ran over to them, using what little upper body strength she had to try and lift Harry off of her husband. With Orion pinned down and Walburga distracted, Harry took a hail mary.

"Ron! Go!" He yelled.

Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw Ron scoop Sirius up in his arms and bolt for the exit. Harry smiled and jerked his elbow backwards to hit Walburga, but hit air instead. Confused, he turned around.

Regulus was standing, satchel in hand, over his mother. "I want to talk to my father," he said.

Harry grinned and got off of Orion and picked him up by the collar, pinning him against the wall. "Your son wants to talk to you."

Harry saw Regulus step forward, lean so his face was _centimeters_ from his father's and say, "I'm leaving. For good. I was never with you sick freaks. Wanna know how I died? I found one of Voldemort's horocruxes and gave it to Kreacher to be destroyed. And I'd do it again. And this," Regulus drew a trembling arm back and punched Orion square in the nose. "That was for _my brother_." He stepped back, shaking from head to toe. 

Harry grinned even wider and threw Orion back against the wall. He sat there and made no effort to get up. 

"Let's go," Regulus said. "I don't have anything I need to get; I put all of my stuff in this bag just in case."

Harry nodded and the two of them ran down the hallway and out the back door. Their run turned into a sprint as they tore across the back lawn and into the forest where Ron and Sirius were waiting. The two brothers reunited with a tight hug and tears. Harry slumped against a tree for a few seconds to let his heart rate slow down. 

A minute later, Ron made his way over to Harry and held out his hand for a high-five. Harry accepted and laughed.

"That was freakin' awesome," Ron said, trying to keep himself from doubling over with laughter.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Yeah, it was. But uhh," He shook his head to refocus. "We should get home."

Ron smiled and held his hand out to apparate. Harry called Regulus over. He obliged, picking Sirius up the way Harry had carried him through the Manor. And seconds later, they were apparating away.

_Mission Accomplished,_ Harry thought. _Hell yeah._

\----------------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello!! How about THAT chapter, huh? Huh? I absolutely _loved_ writing it; and based on how long it turned out to be I think I made the right call to cut it in half. But did YOU like it? Let me know! The next chapter should be up in the next few days.**

**As always, thank you guys so SO much for your support! Your comments, questions, and suggestions mean everything to me! I'll see you guys soon. Happy reading!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**

**P.S. I might get to that editing (for spelling and grammar) in the next few days, so don't be alarmed when it says I've updated a chapter that you've already read.**


	15. Regroup

Lily spent the hours after Harry and Ron had left as a complete nervous wreck. And when she got nervous, her appetite vanished. She ate nothing at breakfast or lunch; and even when James had prodded her to, "at least eat an apple, Lils, I don't want you to collapse," the best she could do was toss the fruit up and down like it was a toy. 

She couldn't focus on training, either. It took only 20 minutes in the simulation room for Lily to think of her son and get distracted, allowing the fake Death Eater to fire a killing curse straight at her chest and throw her onto her back. The alarm signaling her failure rang and the room changed from a hologram of a dense forest to blank walls and a cold floor. She sat up and collected herself; putting her head in her hands and trying her best to hold back tears. It took five shaky breaths before she could allow herself to look up; and when she did she saw James standing in the doorway.

"I know what you're like when you get nervous," he began. His voice was soft; he wore a sympathetic expression and a sad smile. 

"You should," Lily said, still sitting down and teary eyed. "We've been married for two friggin decades."

James laughed a little and began to walk towards her. "I just know you have trouble concentrating, that's all. Couple that with loss of appetite and I didn't think you'd make it 30 minutes in here." He arrived in front of her and dropped to his knees. "If it's any consolation," he said, placing a hand on her cheek, "I couldn't concentrate either. Nearly blew myself up in the lab."

Lily laughed and pulled James into a hug. When she pulled back, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a granola bar. 

"Please?" He held it out to her. "You look like you're gonna pass out."

Lily took the bar and twirled it around in her hands. She looked back up at James. "Fine; only because you _begged_ me to."

James put his hand on his chest in mock insult. "I did not _beg_. I don't beg!"

Lily smiled and stood up. "Oh, you begged." She opened the wrapper and took a bite as James stood up beside her. 

"I don't beg," he insisted, putting his arm over her shoulders. 

"Mhm. Okay."

"Wanna go to the weapons lab?"

"Do I get to blow something up?"

James paused for a minute. "Y'know, that wasn't on today's agenda... but I think I can make an exception."

Lily grinned as they left the simulation room and headed towards the lab. "He'll be okay, right?" She asked as they walked.

"I don't think they'd send him out if he wasn't qualified," James responded.

"That didn't really answer my question."

James took a deep breath. "You and I- we haven't seen enough of him in action to really know for ourselves. But with a mission like _this_ , I doubt Hermione would feel comfortable sending the boys out if she didn't think he'd make it back."

Lily nodded. "Makes sense."

"I wish I could say I knew for certain, but..."

"Yeah. Yeah, I know."

Lily felt James pull her even closer to him as she continued to slowly eat the granola bar. As they continued down the hallway she began to hear shouting from behind. When she looked at James it was obvious that he'd noticed them, too.

She turned around. Running towards them at full speed was Hermione, Remus, Dora, and the Weasley Twins. 

"What's going on?" She asked as they got closer.

"They're back!" Remus yelled. "In the infirmary!!"

Lily didn't hesitate to turn back around and run in a full sprint towards the infirmary, adrenaline pumping faster than ever; James was right behind her. Were they in the infirmary for protocol? Had something gone wrong? Was her son okay??

Upon arrival Lily practically threw open the door and rushed towards Harry, who was sitting very still on one of the beds. When he saw her he tried to stand up but was forced back down by Ron.

"Not with that head injury," Ron said.

"Head injury?" Lily asked as she approached her son. She took his face in her hands and examined his head.

"I'm fine mum," He said.

"Harry got tackled and his head hit the floor," Ron reported, paying his brothers no mind as they canvassed him for injuries. "Might be a mild concussion."

Harry gave Ron a dirty look. "I feel _fine_!"

Lily took one last glance at her son before crushing him in a hug. James, who had arrived only a minute after Lily, joined in. Harry hugged both of them back. 

"Really guys, I'm fine," Harry assured them. "The mission went really well."

"Well," Ron interjected.

"Ron," Harry protested, "That was _your_ idea!"

Ron put his hands up in defense. "I'm just saying we probably could've avoided you getting tackled."

"Well then we wouldn't have gotten Reg back," Harry said.

That took Lily by suprise. "Reg's here?"

"Yeah," Harry said, his expression beginning to sober up. "But he's uh..."

"Is he okay?" James asked.

"Oh _he's_ fine," Harry said. "Uhm..." As Harry's voice trailed off he turned his head towards another portion of the room.

Lily looked in that direction. There she saw Regulus, Dora, and Remus standing a few feet away from another bed swarmed by medics. It didn't take Lily more than half a second to realize who was lying there.

From behind her she heard James mutter a strangled, "oh my god." Seconds later he was moving over towards the bed. Before he could get close enough both Lily and Remus, who had heard James, intercepted him to keep him from disturbing the medics. Remus pushed him from the front, wrapping his arms around James' waist. Lily stood behind Remus and tried to calm James down; but he wouldn't listen. James struggled against the two of them; kicking his legs that had been lifted off of the ground by Remus in effort to immobilize him. 

"I need to see him," James whimpered, tears streaming down his face. "I need to see my brother!"

"You need to give the medics time to look at him," Said Harry, who had made his way over diespite many obvious attempts by Ron to keep him sitting down. He looked James in the eyes. "I saw what he looks like. It's bad, I won't lie to you; but he'll recover. But that requires a bit of work on the medics' part first. And they don't like being distracted."

Harry's words seem to stop James from trying to kick Remus into putting him down; but he was by no means calm. Instead, he went nearly limp, putting his head on top of Remus' head that was currently buried in James' shoulder. James was silent, but the way he shook with quiet tears was louder than anything else in the room. 

Lily put a hand on his back to try and comfort him. She turned to look at Harry, who was eyeing the medics grimly. She knew the face he was making from the many times she'd seen it on James; it was guilt.

"Harry," she called to him. He turned. "You did your best out there. You know it."

Her son looked down at his feet. "That won't matter if my best wasn't enough."

"Bullshit," Remus interrupted. "From what you, Ron, and Regulus told me that couldn't have gone smoother. Sirius is gonna be okay, and it's because of you three. No contest."

"I hate to interrupt," Hermione said, stepping closer. "But I need to know if there's anything to be taken care of immediately."

Harry looked as if he'd just been pulled back into reality. "Yeah, actually-" He reached into the bag he was holding and pulled out a thick stack of papers. He held them out to Hermione. "-I stole these from their meeting room. And based on what I heard Bellatrix yelling about before we left, they're important."

Hermione took the papers from him, grinning ear to ear. "I'll go take a look at these," She said, and left the room.

At that moment Lily noticed the last of the medics leave Sirius' bed. Regulus and Dora pulled up chairs on either side of him and sat down. Lily and Remus exchanged a look before walking over; James, Harry, and Ron in tow.

"He's gonna be okay," Dora said upon noticing their approach. "The medics put him under so he wouldn't try to, uh... hurt them while they worked. He'll need... a- a lot of rest... and a lot of observation before... before he can leave the infirmary." She took a deep breath. "But he'll be fine... physically... and right now, that's- that's a win." 

It was then that Lily saw Sirius for the first time. Despite Dora's mildly encouraging words, she couldn't ignore how... _awful_ he looked. Obviously James felt the same, if not, worse, because he continued to cling tightly onto Remus and cry on his shoulder. Harry, on the other hand, remained silent and stoic. 

About an hour or so passed after Dora's report. Ron and his brothers had left to tell the rest of their family about his safe return; but Ron himself circled back after a few minutes to bring food to Harry, Sirius, and Regulus. Harry sat on a nearby bed and ate as if he hadn't in weeks. Regulus, on the other hand, remained in his chair and only nibbled on his food as he stared at his brother. At one point, he spoke to the crowd.

"When he wakes up," Regulus said, "You guys talk to him first. We've already seen each other... it's only fair." 

No one knew whether to argue; Instead, Remus replied with, "We'll see what happens."

Sure enough, Sirius opened his eyes a few minutes later. "Reg? Harry?" He called out. 

Everyone in the room sprung into action. Regulus stood up and leaned over. "I'm here," He said, smiling widely. "I'm right here." 

Dora, Remus, and James all jumped up from where they were seated and moved closer, not wanting to interrupt Regulus. Dora soon followed with a greeting of her own, though a lot of it was telling Sirius off for having the audacity to die that stupidly. Lily was instead drawn to Harry, who nearly collapsed because he stood up too fast. She caught him before he fell and tried to make him sit back down; but much like his father it seemed he'd rather risk his own well-being to make sure Sirius was okay.

"He asked for me, mum," Harry grunted as he resisted her attempts to push him down. "Sirius! Sirius I'm right here!"

"Harry you nearly just collapsed," Lily said, pushing harder. "Sit _down_!"

"Lily?" She heard Sirius call.

Lily turned around and smiled, still holding Harry down in his seat. "Hi, Sirius. You alright?"

He gave her a cynical look. "Oh yeah, Evans. Peachy."

"He's fine," Remus chuckled. 

Sirius' head turned to Remus so fast Lily was concerned he'd just given himself whiplash. "Moony!" He noticed James. "...Prongs!"

James let out a relieved laugh and bent down to hug Sirius. The latter wrapped one of his arms around James and used the other to grab Remus by the shirt and pull him in as well. The three of them held each other tightly in silence, because Lily was sure that no words could possibly capture what they felt. When they were done, Sirius turned his head towards Harry, who Lily was still holding in place. 

"That," Sirius said to him, "Was fucking amazing."

Harry tilted his head as if he didn't understand. "It was a rescue mission, nothing abnormal about it."

"Harry, you punched my father in the jaw. It's the best thing I've seen all year."

"You saw that?"

"Of _course_ I saw it," Sirius said, exasperated. "I was so worried he was going to kill you I wasn't gonna look away."

"Wait," James interrupted, "Is _that_ who tackled you?"

"Well," Harry replied matter-of-factly, "If you clock someone in the jaw they're probably gonna be a bit mad at you."

"You guys are missing the best part!" Regulus protested. He turned to Harry. "Tell them what you said."

"It wasn't that-"

"Harry," Hermione interrupted, peeking in from outside. "Can I see you for a minute? It's about those plans."

"Is something wrong?" Harry asked.

"I think I figued out what they're trying to do," She said. "It doesn't look good for us."

"Well then," Harry said, standing up slowly; much to Lily's objection. "Let's call a meeting."

\---------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello! That wasn't really a cliffhanger, was it?**

**Anyways, I hope you guys liked this chapter! It's not much, but a necessary filler nonetheless. Other than that, I have little to report; I'll try to have the next chapter out by mid-next week. I want to make sure that before then I have enough of the story planned out so that I don't fall into writer's block and leave you guys hanging. I'll also try and make myself do those spelling and grammar edits on Sunday or Monday; so watch out for that when AO3 tells you I've re-uploaded chapters.**

**As always, thank you guys so so much for your love and support! AND FOR OVER 100 VOTES!!! Unreal!! I look forward to reading your lovely comments, questions, and suggestions as always. I'll see you soon. Happy reading!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


	16. What We Learned

Dora was reluctant to leave Sirius' side when Harry called the meeting, as it seemed everyone was, but he assured all of them that whatever Hermione had just found out was more important now that he was safe. So she, Remus, James, and Lily all slowly followed Harry and Hermione out of the infirmary; but she quickly noticed that Regulus had stayed behind. Dora stood in the doorway and called out to him. 

"Reg," She said. 

Regulus looked up from where he was staring into space. "I- I'd rather stay."

Dora knew that Regulus' time in Malfoy Manor was valuable to them. "I know you do," She said, "But you of all people are gonna be _really_ helpful to us right now. Let's go."

Regulus didn't move. Instead Sirius lifted a weak arm and attempted to swat his brother. "Go, idiot," He said. "You weren't at Malfoy Manor to save me; you went to get info. Go give them the damn info!"

Regulus sighed and ruffled his brother's hair as he stood up. Dora turned away from the infirmary and began to jog down the hallway to catch up with the rest of the group. Regulus was soon at her side. 

Thanks to their collective nervous speedwalking the seven of them were in the conference room within five minutes. And thanks to Harry calling the meeting as they walked, everyone else who needed to be there was already in the room when they arrived. Dora took a seat between Regulus and Remus; and the meeting began seconds later.

"So," Hermione began, "First and foremost: a huge congratulations to Regulus, Harry, and Ron for their incredible work at Malfoy Manor both today and over the last week. What you three accomplished required great discipline and skills. So thank you."

A small round of applause erupted amongst those in the room; but Hermione quelled it quickly. "That being said," She continued, "There is now _much_ to discuss." She began to separate the stack of papers into a few piles. "Before I tell you what these documents say, Regulus; anything you'd like to report?"

Regulus shifted in his seat. "Well," He began, "We know that, for now, Bellatrix and Lucius are running things. I also found out that they do have... inner circles. Some people get to know the top secret plans and the rest are just footsoldiers." Regulus paused and pulled out his notebook. "They've also got a _lot_ of people living at the Manor. Most of them work for the Death Eaters but some are just... families with the same shitty morals. And... Pettigrew is kind of big there."

Dora heard a _snap_ from the other side of the table. James had broken the pencil he was holding cleanly in half. He looked like he was trying to keep calm, but Dora could see that he wanted to flip the table over. She looked around; clearly everyone else seemed to feel the same way. 

"I had to tell you guys," Regulus said apologetically. "I mean, he's no Bellatrix, but they trust him enough for him to be in that inner circle."

"Funny," Remus said dryly, "Y'know if I were Bellatrix maybe I'd recognize his history of _treachery_ and not tell him my deepest darkest secrets. Just a thought."

Regulus sighed. "At any rate, it looks like they'll want to increase patrols if they haven't already. That'll probably mean also cracking down on anything they see as remotely rebellious. And that's pretty much it... I wasn't able to get much more before this morning. Sorry."

"Don't be," Harry said. "All of that helps."

Regulus nodded and slumped in his chair. Dora looked at him with worried eyes; she wondered if this mission was all it took to finally break him.

"Given that," Hermione continued, "Here are the plans we've obtained. Each pile pertains to a different department or cluster of departments." She began pointing at the piles. "Here we have stuff for the Aurors, one for Weapons, one for Potions, and this pile is Miscelanious. Neville; I'll want you floating around and looking out for possible damages injuries by their plans and how we can either prevent or combat them. Anyone who finds themselves empty-handed should join whatever group they feel comfortable with and help them. Go."

At her call, the room nearly descended into chaos. Department Heads dove for their piles and claimed sections of the table or corners of the room. Dora joined Harry, Ron, and Lily at the whiteboard where they poured over battle plans written by the Death Eaters' top strategists. They featured all-sides approaches and converging on smaller towns before moving to bigger hotspots such as Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, much like what they tried in the 1970s. Dora had just begun to review their crowd control strategies when Snape called out from where he was sitting.

"Potter!" He yelled.

"Yes?" Three voices answered. Awkward silence followed.

Snape groaned. "Harry. I need Harry." 

Dora saw Harry roll his eyes as he walked over to Snape. The rest of the Aurors stopped their conversations and watched.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"Bone of father, flesh of servant, blood of enemy; do you recognize that?"

Harry paused. "The Graveyard. You _were_ there! How-"

"Not the point," Snape interrupted. 

"I'm sorry, what graveyard?" Lily asked.

"This doesn't involve you," Snape barked.

"It's about _my son,_ " Lily snapped. "What graveyard?"

Harry turned around. "Triwizard Tournament," He said. 

Dora figured Harry had covered that with his parents and the pensive because Lily's expression changed to one of understanding, then one of horror. "You mean... the one with the Dark Lord."

"Yep," Harry chirped. "That one." He turned back to Snape. "Can I see that paper?"

He handed the sheet to Harry and the latter combed the list. "This potion has more ingredients," Harry pointed out.

"It could be to cover up potential failures," Lily remarked. "Potions do that a lot, especially if something happened the first time to make it fail. You overcorrect."

"Seems like an awful lot of overcorrection," Harry mused, still staring at the ingredients. "This list is _huge_ ; and the quantities they're asking for... hold on."

"What?" A few voices asked.

"A good few of these items have lightly written notes beside them. I... can't even see these with my glasses on. Someone blessed with perfect vision needs to take a look."

"I've got it," Dora said. She walked over and took the list from Harry. Sure enough next to a few of the ingredients there were lightly written checkmarks and notes. Dora had to squint to read them. From what she could see they commented on the success of each ingredient in what the writer called "phase one potions." "Phase one?" She asked out loud.

"Huh?" Harry asked.

"It says some of these ingredients were used in potions during a 'phase one,'" Dora replied. 

"List them," Snape demanded.

She began to read off the names of ingredients with notes next to them. And with every name she read she sensed the people around her get more and more nervous. _But why?_

"Y'know I'm no potions junkie," Harry said, making a face, "But that sounds a lot like... what's it called... it's illegal..."

"A mass ressurection potion," Dora heard James interject. She looked up; he'd come over from where his department had been standing. Remus and the twins stood a few feet behind him, listening in. "Sorry," James said, "I overheard the ingredients. Is that what that paper is?"

"That's part of it," Dora replied. 

" _Shit._ " She heard Harry mutter. "Ron, the conversation we heard."

"The first one?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, the one where Bellatrix was saying that whatever they were talking about had worked before, but then Lucius pointed out that it had, and I quote, 'brought back a few _unwanted guests_.'" 

"What?" Lily asked.

Harry told them about the first conversation that he and Ron had overheard at Malfoy Manor. When he mentioned the phrase "blood traitors," everything made sense.

"Oh Merlin," James said, "They're behind the returns." 

A silence fell over the few of them. Harry ran his hand through his hair and sighed; then he gathered himself together, took a deep breath, and called the attention of everyone in the room. 

"Alright guys," He said. "Let's come back for a sec; we've got some developments." He told everyone, now back in their seats, about what they had deduced. Dora saw faces in the room turn grim. She saw family and friends begin to turn to who they trusted most, looking for any comfort they could find. She saw neighbors hold hands, squeeze shoulders, or link arms in solidarity. Dora herself took both Remus and Regulus' hands; squeezing them tightly. She thought about her son and what she would have to tell him when inevitably she'd be asked to go and fight for the Joint Forces. 

"...And this could be a huge jump to conclusions," Harry continued. "Or better yet, they fail. But the truth is we can't rely on happy endings." She saw his eyes scan the crowd. "Because the fact of the matter is that... we don't always get happy endings; and I know a lot of people here understand that on a very personal level. As the saying goes, hope for the best; but prepare for the worst. So starting right now we are gonna throw everything we have at these guys; because if happy endings aren't guaranteed, then we're gonna try our goddamed best to make sure we get one." 

A few cheers of agreement erupted around the room. Hermione waved her hand to signal that the meeting had ended and the group gradually began to split back into departments as preparations began. But Dora, Remus, Regulus, James, and Lily all stayed in the room with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry sat down at the head of the table and put his head in his hands. Ron sat next to him and put his head down on the table.

"I want someone in the training room at all times," Harry said. "Except meals and Lights Out, obviously." 

In response, Ron began a fit of hysterical laughter. Everyone looked at him like he'd grown a second head. When he calmed down a little, he said, "We'll never catch a break, will we?! The three of us? Anyone?" 

Harry let out a short laugh. "Nope. The cycle never ends."

_He's right,_ Dora figured. Not just for these kids, but for everyone. For those who died, for those who came back, for those who fought in the first war, in the second war, in both. For those who lost and will lose again. For the children who were or will be orphaned by war. For her, for Remus, for Sirius, Regulus, James, Lily, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and _Teddy_. _Her son._ The cycle would continue to uproot their lives until they finally managed to destroy it.

_Would this be that time?_

\------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello!**

**Was that a dark chapter? Not really? Eh, whatever. ANYWAYS I hope you guys liked it!**

**I don't really have many announcements right now. I mentioned earlier that I was gonna do some editing. The truth is I'd rather plan and write; so for the time being, expect more of that. The next chapter should be out by... Friday night, probably. For perspective, it's Monday afternoon right now.**

**As always, thank you guys so much for your support! I love reading your comments, questions, and suggestions, so PLEASE keep it up! I'll see you guys soon; happy reading!**


	17. Recovery (Is a Process)

Sirius had spent the next three weeks in and around his bed in the infirmary. He saw his friends and family only in shifts. Harry would come in absurdly early in the morning because he seemed to know that neither of them could sleep through the night. James and Regulus would come at breakfast, bringing whatever food they thought he'd like; then Remus and Dora would do the same at lunchtime. Truthfully it was thanks to them that Sirius was able to gain back a lot of his strength; the food that the infirmary gave him for the sake of nutrients was bland and didn't make him any less hungry. Lily, Dora, and Harry would visit any time they finished a training session, and then Lily and James would bring dinner. Regulus would make his final visit just before bed.

With all these visits Sirius had been worried that he'd have to explain various events to James and Lily; but thankfully Harry had done it already. Sirius was far more overjoyed to hear the new information regarding his stay in Azkaban: that he'd been exonerated. When Harry had told him he had flung his arms around his godson and nearly ripped open some stitches on his stomach in the process. For the first time in years, he felt truly free.

During the last week and a half of his stay in the infirmary Neville had implored Sirius to get up and walk just a little so that his leg muscles wouldn't atrophy. He obliged, but when visitors came he refused to do more than sit on the edge of the bed and swing his legs back and forth. He didn't want them to see how truly painful it was for him to stand up and walk. 

At last, one morning in the third week, while Harry was visiting, Neville made it clear that Sirius could leave if he wanted to.

"As far as I'm concerned," Neville said, "As long as Sirius is taking the medicine I've been giving him he's good to go."

Sirius looked at him, surprised. "Really?"

Neville nodded. "And it means you'll be walking more. You could be _at_ breakfast today if you wanted to."

Sirius turned to Harry, who was eyeing him cautiously. He turned back to Neville. "If- if it's alright with you," He stammered.

"You can say you've been waiting to leave," Neville deadpanned. "I won't be insulted." 

Sirius let out a cross between a relieved sigh and a laugh. "Then thank you, Nevile, for everything, but I think I'd very much like to leave."

Neville smiled and left to gather a bag of medicine for Sirius. Harry pulled out from a small bag next to the bed an outfit for Sirius to change into. It was comprised of various items from James and Regulus' closets and a sweater that Molly Weasely had knitted for him upon his arrival; which he had been immensely greatful for. Before putting on the clothes Sirius managed to stand up and walk slowly to the bathroom where he took a shower and used all the cleaning magic he could to make his hair look less curly. The final product was a shoulder-length mess of dark brown waves; but at least it wasn't greasy. 

When Sirius emerged from the bathroom to put on the outfit, Harry was sound asleep on the bed next to the one he'd occupied; though the noise he made when he nearly fell onto the bed was enough to wake Harry up.

"My bad," Sirius apologized. 

Harry shook his head. "No. No, you're fine. I uh-" He laughed a little. "-I don't know why I fell asleep." 

Sirius nodded, unable to form the correct response, and got dressed; though deep down he suspected that him being released from the infirmary relieved a great deal of Harry's stress. He pulled on the clothes Harry had put out and once Neville returned with the medicine bag, Sirius and Harry left for the Cafeteria.

Sirius was given a brief tour by Harry as they walked. He pointed out the room where Sirius would join James, Remus, and the Weasely twins to work in the Ammunition and Weapons Division. Sirius took a quick peek inside just as what sounded like a small explosive went off in one corner of the room. He turned his head to the source of the sound. A makeshift cinderblock wall blocked whatever had made the noise, but seconds later Remus stepped out from behind it; wiping a thin layer of soot off of his face with a towel. When he noticed Sirius and Harry in the doorway, his face split into a big grin.

"You're out!" Remus exclaimed, dropping the towel and walking over to Sirius. 

Sirius nodded as the two of them hugged. "I'm finally slightly less awful!"

"And just in time for breakfast," Remus said, pulling back slightly. "I suppose you're hungry?"

"Starving," Sirius replied. 

Remus threw his harm over Sirius' shoulder and he and Harry exchanged 'good mornings' as the three of them continued making their way to the cafeteria. When they arrived Sirius' legs began to ache; he hadn't walked for this long in weeks. He began to walk slower and with a more noticeable limp.

"You should sit down," Remus suggested.

"Yeah," Harry agreed, "We can get you food."

Sirius nodded and thanked them. He made a beeline for the table where he spotted his brother, James, Lily, and some of Harry's friends. When he and James met eachother's gaze, the latter jumped out of his seat and ran towards Sirius with a big smile on his face. Sirius stopped in his tracks and grinned, holding out his arms. James lifted him off of his feet and nearly rebroke one of Sirius' ribs in a tight hug. The two of them laughed as Sirius wrapped his arms around James' neck.

"How're you feeling?" James asked. He began to walk them both back to the table as Sirius held on tightly.

"Fine," Sirius answered. "Hungry. And my legs hurt."

"I could see that last bit," James scoffed. "You were walking over here like some jerk had stolen your crutches." He put Sirius down in an empty chair between him and Regulus.

"I don't need _crutches_ ," Sirius pouted. "I just haven't walked that much in a while."

"What's wrong with just having a pair with you just in case?" Regulus asked, ruffling Sirius' hair. "Glad you got all of the motor oil out, by the way."

Sirius made a face at his brother as he swatted his hand away from his head. "I'll be _fine_ without crutches, thank you very much." 

Remus and Harry arrived with Sirius' food, and breakfast passed with cheerful conversation. But even so, Sirius could feel the tension caused by what everyone had learned from the papers Harry and Ron had retrieved from Malfoy Manor. Even though weeks had passed since then with no incident or news from the Death Eaters, the possibility of Voldemort's return hung over their heads like the metal sheet on a guillotine. 

When breakfast was over the group split; Remus, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and a few others headed to a Department Heads meeting. The rest went their sepearate ways to do their own work. Sirius followed James back to the Ammunition and Weapons Division, where he was given a formal introduction to the department. 

"Here," James began, "We turn these harmless pranks-" He pointed to stacks of blueprints and an assortment of what Sirius thought were dungbombs. "-into weapons, ammo, and stuff that'll actually help people out." 

Sirius was amused. "How the hell did you go from Quidditch to this?" He asked.

"Well there isn't really much for Quidditch here," James pointed out. "Plus Harry was the one who suggested I do this, given our collective experience as teenagers."

Sirius laughed. "You've got me."

James pulled out a toolbox and some more of the dungbombs that Sirius had seen earlier. Then he took out a blueprint and placed it next to the toolbox. He looked up at Sirius. "Come work on these," He said. "We're reconstructing these dungbombs to make them into smoke bombs. Less smelly and more distracting; the smoke is thicker and lingers for a longer amount of time, and they make a loud popping sound as a warning to those who know what they do. Remus apparently saw them used in the field once and says they're pretty effective."

"Alright," Sirus said. He pulled a nearby stool over to where James had placed the materials and got to work carefully disassembling the dungbombs. It was then that he learned the "smell" was stored in tiny pouches that burst when activated; so no precautions were needed to prevent Sirius from wanting to hurl at the stench. James had left his side for a minute, but returned with new pouches that were to be put in the dungbombs. The two of them worked as an assembly line; Sirius disassembled and James reassembled for hours. 

At some point both the twins and Remus had entered and said hello, but Sirius had become hyperfocused on his task. It calmed him down to have something to break apart so methodically. He only managed to pull himself away from the dungbombs for lunch, and eventually he stopped completely for the day when Remus had to lock the room before dinner. 

Both meals passed with little excitement; just the same cheerful conversation as breakfast. Sirius didn't mind though, he was just happy to be with his friends and family. 

After dinner Harry led Sirius to his new room. It was roughly the size and composition of a small flat, which he enjoyed. It wasn't too big but not too small either.

"You gonna be alright?" Harry asked him. "If you want, I can stay here."

Sirius shook his head and smiled at his godson. "I'll be alright."

Harry looked at him skeptcally. "If you need me I'm just four doors down on this side of the hallway. Knock anytime; I won't mind."

"I'll keep that in mind," Sirius said. "Thanks."

Harry nodded and left, closing the door behind him. Sirius locked it and walked into the bedroom, where he changed into the pair of sweatpants and a tee shirt that James had given him. Harry had promised that he'd get more clothes for Sirius on the next supply run; but for now he'd have to manage with what he had. 

That night Sirius slept only slightly better than he had in the infirmary. The bed helped with comfort and quickly lulled him into a deep sleep; but it trapped him in a series of awful nightmares. He relived what had happened to him in the Manor and his rescue, but things took a horrible turn when instead of tackling Harry his father didn't hesitate to use the killing curse. Chaos followed. Sirius woke the next morning in a cold sweat.

The next few days proceeded the same way the first one had; cheerful meals and hours spent with Remus, James, and the Twins in the AWD. But on the morning of September 23rd, when Harry was visiting the lab before a training session, Neville ran into the room. He was completely out of breath, as if he'd run all the way from the infirmary to them.

"Harry!" He exclaimed, leaning against the doorframe for support. " _You need to see this, come with me_."

\------------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello! Forgive me for that cliffhanger at the end of an otherwise uneventful chapter. I figured you guys deserved a bit of calm and good news after those last few.**

**Now that summer has really started and I know my schedule better, I've been able to determine when I'll be writing chapters. For now you guys should expect one at the beginning of the week (Sunday or Monday) and one towards the end (Thursday or Friday). If for whatever reason that changes, I'll post an announcement or say something in one of these Author's Notes. At that rate, the story will likely be fully completed (omg) by the end of July. As of now it's looking like a 30 chapter + epilouge story, but things could change. We'll see what happens!**

**As always, thank you tremendously for your love and support! Your comments, questions, and suggestions make my day! I'll see you guys soon; happy reading!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


	18. Lies Make the Best Revenge Stories

_"Harry!" Neville exclaimed, leaning against the doorframe for support. "You need to see this, come with me."_

\------------------------------------------------

Harry stood motionless, waiting for Neville to elaborate, but he didn't take any time to catch his own breath; instead he turned back around and began to sprint back towards the infirmary. Harry rushed out of the Weapons Lab after him, calling out for an explanation. 

"What's going on?!" Harry asked. Thanks to his training he was able to speed up enough to match Neville's determined sprint. They were now running alongside each other and Harry could see the look on his friend's face. It was clear that something bad had happened.

"You'll see," Neville panted. "There's a lot. Call Hermione and Ron."

Harry made the call as they tore through the halls. When they arrived at the infirmary Neville immediately slumped against the doorframe, unable to move any further. Harry picked him up and brought him to one of the beds.

"Look," Neville wheezed, pointing to his left. 

Harry turned his head and saw Lee Jordan sitting on a bed near them. He was holding an ice pack to his face, which was bleeding and bruised. There was a bandage wrapped around his arm and his shirt was torn in several places. 

"Lee, are you alright?" Harry asked. "What happened?"

"I'll be fine," Lee said, cringing when he had to move any muscles on his face.

"Are Hermione and Ron coming?" Neville asked, weakly prodding Harry's arm. 

"Yeah," Harry replied, patting him on the shoulder, "They'll be here soon."

Harry heard Neville exhale and saw him lean back against the bed. The room stayed quiet; Harry didn't want to make Lee talk more than necessary. But Lee being Lee, he did anyway.

"How's Fred?" He asked. "And George? I assume they're all doing much better now?"

Harry smiled. "Yeah, the Weasleys were, understandably, ecstatic to have him back. And this is probably the happiest I've ever seen George."

Lee laughed a little, wincing again. "That's good. Could you call them in when I'm done giving my statement or whatever?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded, "But that means you stop aggrivating whatever injury you have by talking."

Just then Hermione and Ron entered the room. 

"Lee!" Ron exclaimed. "Bloody hell, mate, what happened?"

At this point Neville had recovered enough to sit up. "Go ahead," He prodded Lee.

Lee took a deep breath. "This morning started out normal; I was at the bar in the Leaky Cauldron, managing the place as per ususal... when we heard an explosion come from outside. Everyone rushed to the windows to check it out. It was Death Eaters; they were destroying nearly everything in sight."

"Nearly?" Hermione asked.

"Well they kept to the deal," Lee said. "The Leaky Cauldron remained unharmed and unbreached."

Harry made a face. "Then how did you..."

"I made the mistake of stepping outside to check things out. One of them got me from behind and threw me against a pile of debris. So the deal wasn't broken... but that's not the part Neville thought I should tell you."

Harry turned to Neville. "What happened?"

Lee continued, "One of the Death Eaters noticed we were watching. He stood there and yelled at us, saying this was in revenge; that you guys had stolen some valables and kidnapped his son, and that if they weren't returned soon it could mean war."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at each other in horror. Not only had Orion somehow covered up Regulus' betrayal as an abduction; but the Death Eaters were now using it as an excuse for bloodshed! 

"Oh Merlin," Lee groaned. "I see those looks. Did you kidnap his kid?"

"No," Harry responded, still in shock. "He's with us. He was a spy and we brought him back here on a mission! He even _told_ them-"

"Harry," Hermione interrupted. "We need to call an emergency meeting. Now."

Harry quieted down. "Yeah, call it." He stood up and faced Lee. "You should be there."

Lee nodded as they all stood up. Hermione pulled out her pager as she left the infirmary, Ron right on her heels. Harry began to walk but paused in the doorway and turned to Neville. "I feel like there's something else you wanted to tell me," He said.

Neville paused, stunned, but then smiled. "Yeah," He said. "I think my cure is ready."

Harry beamed. Since before all of this chaos had started Neville was using his knowledge of Herbology and medicine to try and make a cure for his parents' insanity. It had taken nearly a year and a half; but it looked like there was finally a breakthrough. "Yeah?" Harry asked him.

"Yeah," Neville replied, smiling just as widely. "Obviously we have bigger things to work on now but once there's a dip in activity I think I'll go to St. Mungos and test it out."

"Do you have an antidote in case something goes wrong?" 

Neville nodded. "Any nasty side effects can be cancelled out with a small dose of a standard antidote potion."

"Neville," Harry said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder, "This is amazing!"

He nodded ecstatically. "Yeah. But let's get this-"He nodded to Ron, Hermione, and Lee making their way down the hall, "-in order first."

Harry laughed as the two jogged to meet their friends as his pager went off, signaling that Hermione had called the meeting. As they made their way towards the Conference Room others joined them; all confused and a bit worried. Fred and George, though not required to join, followed anyway when they saw Lee pass the Weapons Lab. 

The crowd gathered inside the conference room consisted of department heads and anyone who had heard a pager go off and became concerned enough to join; which, Harry noticed, was far more people than he'd anticipated. By the time Hermione called the meeting to order there was a cluster of people, including Harry's parents, who were forced to stand around the edges of the room because there weren't nearly enough seats. 

"So," Hermione began, "The reason we've called this meeting is because the war that we've been slowly preparing for may be closer than we think. Harry, if you dont mind..."

Harry nodded and saved Lee the trouble of hurting himself further. He relayed what Lee had said to the group, emphasizing the fact that though there was no formal declaration of war or breach of the treaty, the Death Eaters were convinced that the Joint Forces had kidnapped Regulus and stolen their valuables and were bent on revenge.

Regulus, to no one's surprise, was outraged. "They _know_ I wasn't kidnapped! I said it right to my father's stupid face! He knows that-" His tirade stopped abruptly. "Oh, Merlin. He's the only one that knows... he covered it up!"

Harry nodded grimly. "A damaged ego will make you do some stupid crap."

"We need to tell them somehow! I'll get up in front of a camera or something; hell, I'll do it in _person-_ "

"They'll think you're being forced," Dora spoke up from where she stood towards the back of the room. "They know plenty of spells and potions to put someone under their control; and that means they'll be wary of anything you say until you're back with them."

"And then," Sirius added from his seat next to his brother, "It'll be too late for you. Even if no one else ever finds out... he knows you left willingly and he'll make you pay for it." 

Regulus backed off but was by no means comforted. "Then what the hell do we do?"

Hermione sighed. "We prepare. There's no way we can realistically pull off even fake-meeting their demands without war breaking out; so we'll need to be ready when something happens." She took a deep breath. "Departments, speed up your preparations. I'll work with the Aurors to develop a plan of action; we'll be done by September 26th, that's three days from now. I'll call another meeting then to reconvene and discuss how each department fits into that plan."

There were mixed reactions from the crowd. Most agreed, but Harry heard a few dissenting grumbles from a few scattered voices. 

"You're dismissed," Hermione concluded. "Aurors, please stay for a few minutes."

Conversation erupted amongst those gathered in the Conference Room as they began to leave. Harry leaned over to listen to Ron, who was beginning to think out loud about their next steps. Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw his parents exchange a quick, meaningful look before his father pulled his mother into a tight hug. Harry was again distracted by Ron's hushed monologue, but seconds later he felt his father by his side. Harry looked up at him.

"I know you aren't exactly going into battle yet," His father said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But I want you to be careful."

Harry smiled, stood up, and gave him a quick hug. "I'll do my best."

His father smiled and patted him on the shoulder before leaving the room. Only Harry, Ron, Hermione, Regulus, and a few other Aurors, including Harry's mother and Dora, remained.

"I don't expect any of you to have much now," Hermione began, "But any preliminary ideas are appreciated."

Harry looked around the room. No one spoke. Admittedly, Harry couldn't think of anything other than more training; so he suggested just that.

Ron nodded. "Even if we do just give them back the plans we took, they know that we know what they're up to and they'll still want Regulus. And we all know that's not gonna happen. The best we can do now is prepare."

Harry thought for a moment, then spoke. "I'll run some Dumbledore's Army-style classes," He said to Hermione. "I'm not concerned about how much time people are spending in training; I'm concerned about what they _know._ Going to war with Death Eaters is gonna involve stuff that you don't exactly learn in standard training for Aurors." He turned in his chair to address the rest of the Aurors. "Starting tomorrow we'll meet daily for two hours beginning thirty minutes after lunch ends. Sound good?"

Everyone nodded and mumbled in agreement. 

"Wonderful," Hermione said. "Harry and Ron, you two will meet with me as much as possible over the next two days to work out a plan of action. Other than that, Aurors: stick to your training schedules. Dismissed."

More conversation erupted amongst the Aurors as they began to trickle out of the Conference Room. Harry lingered as he gathered the few notes he'd scribbled during the meeting and thought about what to teach the Aurors. What did he know that wasn't in basic training? He wanted to ease them in but all he could think of was heavy stuff like resisting Unforgivable Curses.

Eventually Harry left the room, his mother and Ron by his side, and headed off to lunch. Though he put on a brave face as they walked through the halls, Harry couldn't help but fear what was to come in the weeks ahead.

\--------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello! Sorry about that weird ending there; I couldn't really figure out how to properly close out the chapter. Nonetheless, I hope you guys liked it!**

**It looks like the schedule I've set up will work out, so the next chapter should be out on Thursday or Friday. Other than that, I don't really have any announcements.**

**As always, thank you guys so much for your support! I love reading your comments, questions, and suggestions. Keep it up! I'll see you guys soon; happy reading!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


	19. Fight Like a Bull

Since yesterday's meeting Lily's anxiety had returned to a level that was nearing how she had felt when Harry had gone to rescue Sirius. She picked at the lunch she'd forced herself to get to prepare for whatever intense training her son thought the Aurors needed. Out of the corner of her eye she could see James throwing worried glances in her direction. 

"I can see you," She confronted him.

James sighed and turned in his seat to face her. "I don't know what Harry has planned for you guys; but I _do_ know that if you don't eat something you won't last five minutes in that room."

"He's right," Dora chirped from across the table. "I totally get not eating because of the anxiety, it happens to a lot of people. I can assure you though, whatever the plan is for today's session is nothing to worry about. Harry knows where we each stand; he's not gonna just toss us in the deep end."

Lily relented and forced herself to eat half of what she'd put on her plate. By the time lunch was over her nerves had calmed down enough to scarf down another few bites before heading off to the training room. 

The training room, at least the largest one in the Training Complex, was roughly the length of two olympic-sized swimming pools and the width of one. The ceiling looked to be two stories high. At one end of the room there was a control panel that ran the simulations Aurors would train with. Today, someone had set up a small platform next to the panel and moved all of the punching bags and other like materials to a space on the platform's other side. Lily didn't realize she was staring at it so intensely until Harry made her nearly jump six feet in the air.

"You alright?" He asked her. 

She hadn't heard him come up from behind and nearly pulled her wand on him in surprise. "Yeah," she responded. "Yeah, totally."

Harry gave her a skeptical look that she recognized from James. "You sure? You've been staring at that platform like it's going to come to life and kill you."

Lily forced a small smile. "I guess I'm just a little nervous," she replied. 

"That's alright," Harry assured her. "I don't expect anyone here to not be even a bit nervous. This training will be tough but it's necessary. The Death Eaters don't exactly follow the rules of civil dueling. Just follow what I tell you and you should be fine."

Lily nodded. Of all the reassurances she'd gotten this afternoon, Harry's was by far the most comforting. He didn't tell her to suck it up or that everything would be okay; instead he had told her that it was okay to worry, that it was _normal_. 

"I have to get things started," Harry said, giving her a quick pat on the shoulder. "I'll talk to you more later." He passed her and made his way to the platform. He climbed on top of it and was joined by Ron a few seconds later. 

"Hello everyone," Harry addressed the crowd, getting their attention. "If you'd all find some space for yourselves as well as a partner to have for later that'd be much appreciated. We'll start in one minute."

Quiet conversation buzzed around Lily as the Aurors scrambled to find space and a partner. She spun around, trying to quickly locate someone to partner with; but the truth was that Lily had done most of her training alone. Her schedule didn't even overlap with Harry's. She didn't have someone that she could immediately turn to.

That's when Lily felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around. Standing there was Dora Tonks; someone who, despite their mutual friends, she hadn't really talked to that much since her arrival at the Joint Forces.

"Partners?" Dora asked, sporting an almost creepily cheery grin.

Lily smiled, comforted by her gesture. "Sure."

They found a space to stand and awaited Harry's next call. They were ahead of him by only a few seconds.

"I'll be honest with you all," He called out. "I wanted to start this out easy; but the truth is what we're preparing for is quite the opposite." 

Lily glanced around as he spoke. From his first word Harry had captivated his audience flawlessly. His voice commanded silence, attention, and respect. All of the other Aurors stood at rigid attention, eyes turned up to their fearless leader. It made Lily's heart swell with pride for her son.

"We don't have the luxury of fighting an 'easy war,'" Harry continued. "The tricks that these Death Eaters use are brutal, barbaric, and defy any laws we try to push against them." He paused. "Once the battle begins, there's no telling how far they'll go." He paused again and, to Lily's surprise, tossed his wand aside. "It's likely you'll find yourselves at one point without a wand and against someone who still has theirs. The Ministry has trained you a little for this, but not enough; they assumed you'd be able to get it back in seconds. We can't rely on that. So today we'll work on what to do when that happens."

Harry then proceeded to demonstrate a technique in which a wandless Auror would duck down and rush their opponent, much like a bull. Using just the right amount of force he ran at Ron, who was mimicking a Death Eater firing hexes at Harry, and rammed his shoulder into the redhead's stomach, taking them both down and allowing Harry to quickly maneuver so that he was pinning Ron down. 

"Take turns practicing that," Harry said, standing up. "Start without the other partner actually firing any spells and go from there. This is the easiest thing you'll do in this training; so now is the time to ease yourself in. I'll be walking around to help and we'll reconvene in 45 minutes. Go."

Lily turned to face Dora, who had already dropped her wand on top of her jacket nearby. Thankful for not having to go first, Lily lifted her wand and pointed it at Dora. "Ready?" She asked.

Dora nodded and shifted her stance to prepare for the charge.

"Go," Lily said. Within seconds Dora had taken her down and had an arm raised above her head, ready to deliver a punch. Lily laughed. "You're good."

Dora smirked as she offered a hand to Lily and pulled both of them up. "That was with no obstacles," She said. "It won't be so easy when someone's firing unforgivable curses at me. Your turn."

Lily dropped her wand to the side as Dora picked hers up and stood a few feet away. She lifted her wand up and looked at Lily, who nodded that she was ready. On Dora's command Lily ducked down and rushed at her like Harry had demonstrated. Seconds later they were both on the ground again, but this time it was Lily who pulled her arm back, ready to punch. 

Over the next 40 minutes Lily and Dora took turns rushing at each other. Every ten or so turns they increased the difficulty until they were using actual spells on each other; the severity of which wasn't a problem because the two of them were naturally good at their jobs. They dodged the spells and tackled each other flawlessly every time. Even Harry, who had stopped by to check in, had voiced his astonishment at their quick progress. 

Eventually Harry returned to the platform and got everybody's attention. The room became silent at his command. He commended everyone for their hard work and progress. "But," he continued, "I mentioned it'll only get harder from here. This next thing I'll be teaching you is not something I expect you to master in the next hour. It's about endurance; training yourself to keep going when you get hurt. This is also something the Ministry may have taught you, but only enough to get out of the crossfire; not enough to keep fighting. You'll need to start slow. Here's what to do:"

Harry walked to one end of the platform and faced Ron, who was directly opposite him on the other side. He began to run towards Ron as the latter fired spell after spell at him. Most missed, but a few hit their mark. What surprised Lily is that even when Harry got hit he just... kept going. His legs didn't stop propelling him forward until he reached Ron and faked a tackle. 

"That's what I want you guys to be able to do on the battlefield," He said, addressing the Aurors. "Obviously they'll be using worse spells than whatever the hell Ron just threw at me-" Harry gave Ron a quick, playful glance. Ron shrugged apologetically. "-but you can't start with those. Take as long as you need to build up to strong hexes; even if you don't get there today. Practice makes perfect. I'll be walking around until dismissal in an hour. Go."

Nervous chatter erupted around Lily as the Aurors readied themselves for practice. She and Dora agreed to take it slowly. They trained as much as possible, graduating from harmless jinxes to more harmful spells. Lily pushed herself through the spells that Dora fired at her, but each hex that hit her was a shock to the system from having not been hit in an actual battle in years. By the end of the training period her body ached; and at Harry's call for dismissal she slumped to the ground against a nearby wall, exhausted and in pain. Internally she scolded herself for not having the stamina that she used to.

But to her relief, Dora didn't seem to fair much better. She sat down next to Lily and took a deep breath. "It's alright to not be okay after this," She said to Lily. "The point is to keep yourself going _during_ the fight until you can let yourself rest afterwards."

Lily smiled, grateful for the reassurance. "I just wish it didn't hurt _this_ much."

"Don't we all," Dora replied. "I have to go, I'll see you later."

Lily mumbled a goodbye as Dora left. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. _If this was the first training session_ , she thought, _what would the next ones be like?_ She shuddered at the thought of how far these could go. Would Harry be teaching them how to withstand the Cruciatus Curse? Would she have to learn how to _not_ end up like Alice and Frank? Her heart ached at the thought of her two friends; all alone in St. Mungos, so far away from their son.

"Tired?" She heard a voice call.

Lily opened her eyes. Harry was standing in front of her, looking down with concern. She smiled at her son. "A little."

He smiled back and extended his hand towards her. When she accepted it he pulled her up to her feet. "C'mon," He said. "Let's go somewhere to sit."

The two chatted happily as they left the training complex and went to find their friends. Lily figured that aside from the physical training and warfare, staying together would be the most important way to win this war.

\----------------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello! That chapter was... a struggle to write. I wanted to make this and the next one about character welfare and some preparatons, so there probably won't be a ton of action for a bit. At any rate, I hope you liked it!**

**I don't really have any updates, I'll be able to keep the schedule I've laid out for the forseeable future.**

**As always, thank you for your love and support! I love reading your comments, questions, and suggestions; they make my day! I'll see you soon, happy reading!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


	20. Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Despite the fact that he couldn't really _go_ anywhere, Remus found that he had very little time for self-reflection. Since the moment he'd stepped foot inside the Headquarters of the Joint Forces his days were filled with meals, meetings, catching up with James, Sirius, and Teddy (though much to Remus' dismay toddlers were not as coherent as he thought they'd be), and trying to prevent his two friends from blowing up their lab whilst designing for them the very objects that they were using to do it. And though he thought his nights would provide some much needed time for thought, he found himself constantly exhausted; he would fall into a deep sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. 

This was why, while James, Sirius, and Regulus happily chatted away as they sat in the Common Area during a break, Remus found himself quietly lost in thought as Teddy played with a small stuffed dragon on his lap. The first thoughts that come to his mind were about his son. _He's so small,_ Remus thought, _and yet he's grown so much since I last saw him._ Remus remembered the unbridled joy he felt when Teddy had somehow recognized both him and Dora when they reunited. Harry had explained that he kept pictures lying around, but Remus secretly thought, or rather _hoped_ , that it was some form of child's intuition; the small part of everyone's brain that allows them to pick their parents out of a crowd no matter the circumstances. The same part of the brain that, though it's nurture, not nature, allowed Harry and Teddy to pick up behaviors from their parents without being around them for all that long. Remus could see it in the way that Teddy stumbled over everything like his mother, and how Harry carried himself like both of his parents; confident and ready to use a snappy one-liner (from what Remus could only assume was a well stocked arsenal), to shut down anyone that challenged him. 

Remus' thoughts drifted to the future of the Joint Forces, but they were interrupted by an excited yelp from James. He turned just in time to see his friend jump off of the couch he'd been sitting on and run to Harry and Lily, who had just entered the Common Area. Remus smiled as James excitedly smothered them both in a hug and planted a kiss on the top of Lily's head. 

"You guys done learning how to punch my cousins for the day?" Regulus called out to them.

Harry laughed as he separated from his parents and took the empty seat directly across from Remus. As he sat down he waved at Teddy, who in return giggled and waved back. "No punching today," He said. "Just tackling."

"Oh _just,_ " Regulus poked. "You mean like how you got mowed over back at the Manor?"

"You little-" Harry folded his arms across his chest and shot Regulus a look of mock hurt. "-I let him tackle me! You saw how I was able to pin him down."

"And yet you still got a concussion," Regulus fired back, his tone signaling that this was all play.

Harry smiled. " _Mild_ Concussion."

It was obvious to Remus that Harry and Regulus had become good friends since the latter had arrived weeks ago. They shared equally firey spirits and both seemed like the type of people to throw themselves headfirst at danger without a second thought. 

Harry and Regulus continued to banter as Sirius and James settled back into the conversation they'd been having before. Lily put her head on James' shoulder and looked like she was drifting off into a nap. Remus admired the Aurors for what they did; but seeing them get tired after one session told Remus that with his Lycanthropy, he'd never... _SHIT._

Amidst everything that was going on Remus had somehow almost completely forgotten about the next full moon! He struggled to remember when the next one was supposed to happen, but after a minute or two he remembered the next one would be on September 30th. _But what day is today?_

"Harry," Remus lifted his head to face the young man. "What's today's date?"

"Uh," Harry rolled up his sleeve and checked his watch. "The 25th, why?"

Remus swore under his breath. No wonder he'd been so drowsy the past few days!

"When is it?" James asked, clearly aware of what Remus was asking about.

"The 30th," Remus stammered. "What uh-" He turned back towards Harry. "-what should we do down here?" He had the sudden urge to let someone else hold Teddy. Could he sense his father's nerves? _What if I freak out and hurt him?_

Harry paused as if to give it thought for a second, then he relaxed a bit. "Well, how effective is Wolfsbane?"

Remus took a breath to steady his words. "Effective," he said. "But the ingredients are _incredibly_ expensive and hard to find; not to mention the potion itself is hard to brew. I wouldn't-"

"We have it," Harry interrupted.

"You do?"

Harry nodded. "I made sure we had the ingredients for almost everything when we came down here. With no real budget, the possibilities were endless. Plus... none of us knew what, or _who_ , we'd be dealing with during this time; if someone had gotten bitten and we didn't have the resources to help them, we'd be in trouble."

Remus instantly felt a lot better. As horrible as Wolfsbane tasted (which was really, _really_ , bad) it relieved a great amount of pain and distress from his transformation. Having it on hand would mean he wouldn't need to be locked up in some random storage closet to prevent himself from hurting anyone. 

"As much as I hate his guts," Harry said, beginning to stand up, "I'll go ask Snape to brew some."

"You don't have to," Remus said. "It's for me; I'll do it."

Harry scoffed. "If he decides to throw a hissy fit about it, I'm the only one here that can tell him off. I'll go now."

"I can do it," James interrupted.

All heads turned to him.

"You can?" Remus asked.

"My dad invented Sleekeasy's," James retorted. "When he wasn't busy as an Auror he was leaning over some textbooks and a cauldron. I spent so much time with him that I may have inherited a bit of a knack for the subject. It's why I did so well in the class without studying nearly as much as I probably should have."

"Does he know that?" Harry asked, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the Potions Lab to indicate who "he" was.

"No," James laughed. "Welll, not that I know of. But clearly he doesn't _use_ Sleekeasy's anyway so why would he care?"

"Or," Harry countered, "He uses way too much."

"That would get a tad expensive," James snorted. "At any rate, I taught myself how to make Wolfsbane during the summer after our third year. I couldn't use the _actual_ ingredients so I found some that had the same reactionary attributes, meaning tendency to blow up in my face, and practiced with those. So now I know how to make it."

Remus was stunned. "You just... _taught yourself_ how to make Wolfsbane?"

James shrugged. "Before I remembered how expensive the ingredients were it was actually my original plan; the Animagi were a Plan B. I told myself once things with the war calmed down and I had a job that wasn't just with the Order I'd go out and get the ingredients; but then uh-" He made some wild gestures to the air around them. "-yeah."

After a moment of silence, Harry spoke up. "Snape is going to _hate_ you in his lab."

James stood up carefully so as not to jolt Lily awake. "That's the best part," He said. "From what I heard he's been nothing but a prick to you kids. He can deal with me in his lab for a few hours." 

"I'm gonna go with you to make sure no one beats each other up," Harry said.

"I'll come too," Remus said abruptly. He'd never actually seen Wolfsbane be made before. 

"I would not bring Teddy if I were you," Lily interjected from her spot on the couch. She sat up drowsily. "Things in Potions Labs have the tendency to explode."

Remus sighed. "I'll go see if Dora went back to our room. Gimme a sec." He picked up his satchel and stood up with his son in one arm. He made his way towards his family's "flat," turning down one of the eight hallways that attached themselves to the Common Area. Sure enough when he opened the door Dora was sitting on one of the chairs just inside. 

She grinned at Remus and Teddy as they entered. "How're you guys doing?" She asked.

"We're good," Remus replied. "How was training?"

"Intense," She said, "But that's how you win wars." She paused and gave Remus a quizzical look. "What's on your mind?"

"Uh," Remus startled himself into speaking. "I'm going with James and Harry to brew some Wolfsbane; but I don't want Teddy in the Potions Lab. It's a tad unsafe."

Dora nodded. "I'll take him." She stood up and walked over to Remus. 

Teddy seemed to know what was going on; he held his arms out to his mother as she approached and nearly jumped onto her when she held him.

Remus smiled and thanked his wife, kissing her on the forehead, before he turned and left the flat. He made his way back to James and Harry, who were now the only ones left in the Common Area.

"Where'd everyone go?" Remus asked.

"Work and a nap," James replied. "C'mon, let's go, you guys have me all _excited_ now."

Remus cracked a smile as he followed James and Harry to the Potions Lab. When they arrived Snape was in the middle of bottling a potion he'd just brewed; and as Harry predicted he did _not_ like that they were there.

"What are you doing in here?" He demanded.

"Wolfsbane," Harry said bluntly, making his way to the supply closet. 

"I can make that!" Snape protested.

"What a coincidence," James said coolly, skimming through a recipie book he'd taken off of a shelf, "So can I."

Snape looked like he was about to lose it. "No," He said. "No you can't. There's no way."

"I'm sorry," James shot back, maintaining his composure, "I didn't know you could decide what I can and can't do."

"Just because you got high marks in potions and have a raging superiority complex-"

"Woah there! The superiority complex, I assure you, is long gone." James put down the book he was holding next to an empty cauldron. "And you're right; getting high marks in Potions isn't what makes me so sure that I can brew Wolfsbane-" He put his hands on the table in front of him and leaned forward. His voice grew quiet and sharp. "-I saw a friend in need and decided to devote myself to helping him instead of waiting to be forced by the Headmaster and then outing him to the entire school. I guess we just handle things differently." He sat down on a stool next to the table. 

Remus would need a chainsaw to cut the tension in the room. Instead Snape put down the vial he'd been holding, picked up a recipie book, and left the Lab. Remus didn't even notice how nervous he was until Snape's exit made him exhale. He turned to James. "You didn't have to say that," He said quietly. "If we're gonna coexist in this bunker for a while longer I'd rather you two not beat each other up."

James snorted. "It was either that or I _actually_ beat him up. After what he _did_ to you? That git is lucky they let him stay here!"

"You sassed him out of here and I _missed it_?" Harry spoke from the doorway of the closet. He was holding a few vials of different ingredients in his hands. Remus recognized some purple flowers in one of the vials as the Wolfsbane plant itself. Harry strode over to the table that James had picked an put down the ingredients. "I don't quite remember what's in the potion but I know part of it; tell me what I missed and I'll get it for you."

James looked back and forth between the ingredients and the book. He scribbled a list down on some scrap paper and handed it to his son. "Just these," he said.

Harry went back into the closet as Remus took a seat on a nearby stool. He watched James carefully measure out the ingredients and begin to brew the potion. He spoke only to ask Harry for a few more ingredients and tools, most likely fearful that a break in concentration would have disasterous consequences. It took just under two hours, but at the end James triumphantly held up a sample of what he made. 

"Is there any way to test it out before the full moon?" Harry asked. 

"Unfortunately, no," Remus said. "But that looks and smells like functioning Wolfsbane to me. Besides, I'm already going to be in some empty room by myself; if something happens, just lock the door."

James frowned. "You won't be alone."

Remus smiled. "We'll see."

James took to bottling up the rest of the Wolfsbane for future use. Remus sat and watched, grateful to have his friends back and supporting him. He hoped, above all else, that this time it would stay that way.

\----------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello! So as I predicted, that chapter didn't have a ton of action. I wanted to give some time and focus on the welfare of everyone in the story; especially because stories like these aren't ever just chapter after chapter of warfare and exciting storylines. I hope you liked it though, even if it did run a little long!**

**Again, as predicted, my writing should stay on schedule unless I say otherwise. This'll probably be the last time I write that in an Author's Note so if I don't mention it next time don't worry!**

**As always, thank you so much for your love and support! Your comments, questions, and suggestions make my day! Keep them up! I'll see you guys soon, happy reading!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


	21. You've Been Warned

Over the next few days Harry's mind was occupied solely by two things: training and Werewolves. He continued to lead the daily training sessions for the Aurors, which only got more draining as they progressed. Though despite his worries everyone did well; only two people ever had to leave for the Infirmary, and it was solely because they accidentally bumped heads during an exercise. The rest of the Aurors had made it so far with no injuries other than a scratch or a bruise. Harry was proud of them; considering he was trying to teach what he himself had learned over his years of fighting the Death Eaters, and not what the Ministry tended to _sugarcoat_ war with. 

That left the Werewolf thing. Harry was confident in his father's ability as a Potion Maker, but he was also a firm believer in Murphy's Law: whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. That's why Harry spent the two days before the full moon picking out a perfect room for Remus and making sure that Neville was ready in the Infirmary to intercept and do whatever would be needed once Remus arrived there. Harry had settled on a large empty room near the Potions Lab and Infirmary; it was roughly the size of a small classroom at Hogwarts yet had remained unused because the Joint Forces decided to leave it open as a multi-purpose room. The idea was that it could be used for literally anything at any given time. Thus, it was perfect for housing Remus during a transformation.

When the night of September 30th arrived Harry had somehow calmed himself down considerably. He ate dinner with his family and friends, and spent the few hours between dinner and the transformation in his office looking over some battle strategy he'd written up during the day. A knock on the door at 9:45 told him that it was time to go.

Harry opened the door for his father, who was standing on the other side. He didn't need to say anything; Harry knew. He'd already picked up his things. Harry stepped out of the office and locked the door behind him. They walked away, towards the room where the transformation would take place. Both men were silent as they walked, but Harry noticed that his father fiddled with his hands just like he did when he was nervous; the only difference being the presence of a ring on the elder's finger.

"Nervous?" Harry asked him.

His father looked up at him, seemingly stunned by the question; or, rather, that Harry was asking it. He quickly masked himself with a slight smile. "What makes you think I'm nervous? I've done this thing with Remus hundreds of times."

Harry snorted. "If you haven't noticed," He said, "We have the same face, the same expressions, and _apparently_ the same mannerisms. I do that-" He pointed to his father's hands, which were still fiddling with eachother nervously. "-when I'm worried."

His father made a face like he'd been caught in a lie, which he had been. He sighed. "As confident as I am in my potion-making abilities, I've never brewed real Wolfsbane before. Maybe if I had just swallowed my pride and let Snape do it-"

"Listen," Harry interrupted. "I'm no Potions expert, but I know one when I see one. You knew exactly what you were doing in that Lab. For Merlin's sake, you followed the instructions!"

The elder scoffed. "For Wolfsbane, just _following the instructions_ isn't enough. One less stir and the whole thing might be a dud. And if it is..."

"I planned for that," Harry assured him.

"I thought you said you trusted my abilities!" He playfully jabbed his elbow into Harry's side.

Harry laughed. "You know the saying, 'hope for the best, prepare for the worst?'"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"My point is, I have complete faith in you and this potion. _But_ if something, somehow, goes terribly wrong, I have a foolproof backup plan."

"Does Remus know what it is?"

"You already know he's been pestering me about it since you made the potion."

Both of them laughed at that. It hadn't even taken a full day after their time in the Potions Lab for Remus to nervously approach Harry and ask about a backup plan. Harry had assured him that all of the walls and doors in the compound were incredibly strong; so the plan was that if things got hairy, they'd simply lock him inside the room alone and wait. As morbid as it was, Harry and Remus had agreed that it was the best idea. 

Moments later Harry and his father arrived at the room, where Sirius, Remus, Dora, and Lily were already waiting for them. Harry pushed the door to the room open and they all peeked inside; it was, as Harry had predicted, completely empty. 

"James," Remus began, "The vial?"

The vial of Wolfsbane was passed to Remus as he stepped inside and backed away from the crowd. 

"It's best if I do this alone," Remus said.

A chorus of suprised dissent arose from the rest. 

"Are you joking?!" Sirius exclaimed. "It's best if we're in there with you! Like how it used to be!"

"What if something goes wrong?" Remus muttered.

"We talked about this," Harry answered calmly. "We'll leave. It's not that hard."

Remus made a face and then relented. "Be careful," He warned. "If I hurt..."

"Remus?" James prodded.

Remus' expression changed to one of urgency. Rapidly, he opened the vial and drank it like he was taking a shot. Seconds later he sunk to his knees and doubled over as if he'd been punched in the gut. 

Without hesitation James, Dora, and Sirius dropped what they were holding and rushed to their friend's side. Sirius turned into his animagus and they all kneeled at the ready as Harry could see Remus' features shift into those of a Werewolf. But unlike what he remembered from what happened in his third year, Remus didn't stand up and howl or try to attack anyone standing too close to him. Instead he curled up into a fetal position and remained silent; which meant that the Wolfsbane had worked. 

Harry let out a sigh of relief and closed the door behind him to make sure no one else came in. He slumped against a wall next to his mother and watched as his father and Dora talked anxiously at Remus' side while Padfoot curled up next to them and put his head down. Harry would've commended his father on the potion, but he was afraid that would jinx the situation. 

To everyone's immense relief, the next forty or so minutes went by without even the slightest of problems. When Harry noticed out of the corner of his eye Remus turn back to fully human he smiled broadly and stood up. 

Sirius, too, transformed back to his human self and helped James throw a blanket over Remus, who continued to lay down on the floor. Then, as if he'd done it a million times before, James picked Remus up off of the floor like he weighed next to nothing. Harry opened the door to let them through and followed as the group made their way to the Infirmary. 

Neville was waiting there, ready with painkiller potions, food and drink, and a bed for Remus to sleep in. James put him down and pulled the covers over his frail and shaking body. Harry looked at his father as he sighed and sat down in a chair next to the bed, laughing a little as he wiped a stray tear off of his face.

"So that wasn't a crappy potion," Dora said, stroking Remus' hair.

A few dry laughs rose from the five of them. Harry was about to voice his gratitude to his father when his phone rang from his pocket. Stunned at the lateness of the call he picked it up. _Maybe Teddy is having a hard time and Andromeda called me out of habit,_ he thought. A silence fell around him as he answered the phone.

"Hello," He said.

"Harry!" It was Hermione; she sounded stressed. "You need to come to the conference room, _now_. It's _bad_."

Before he could respond she hung up; leaving him stunned and confused.

"What's wrong?" His mother asked.

"I- I don't know," He replied. "But it doesn't sound good. I'm gonna-"

Harry was cut off by the sound of a few buzzers going off; that meant Hermione had called in a meeting. Whatever this was, it was _really_ bad. Worried looks were exchanged around the room. 

Harry didn't wait for anyone else to speak; he turned around and left the Infirmary. His legs flew him down the hallway towards the Conference Room. He was only vaguely aware of more pairs of feet racing behind him.

He arrived at the Conference Room only moments later, having sprinted the entire way there. Already present were Hermione, Ron, Regulus, and Snape. The rest of the department heads and anyone who happened to be with them trickled in afterwards as Harry made his way to the front of the room.

"What's going on?" Harry asked Hermione.

"You'll see in a sec," She brushed him off as the last people entered the room and sat down or stood behind the chairs. When everyone was seated and/or quiet, she cleared her throat. "Minutes ago," She began, nodding to a patronus in the shape of a bull that she'd managed to preserve. "We received this patronus. Well-" She paused. "-Regulus received it. You'll see." She flicked her wand and the message began to play.

_"To the Ministry, or whoever has kidnapped Regulus,"_ began the voice that Harry recognized as belonging to Orion Black, _"This was the final straw. And this is our Declaration of War: Bring us Harry Potter within two weeks or we will not hesitate to unleash our full power against anyone who dissents. You have been warned."_

With that, the patronus dissolved and left behind an air of shock and fear. Immediately the room erupted in shouting. Harry saw Sirius push his head into James' shoulder and cry quietly, obviously still traumatized from his time at Malfoy Manor. Regulus, on the other hand, began screaming at no one; he was still furious that his father had covered up his leaving as a kidnapping. The Aurors began arguing with each other about effective ways to take down the inhabitants of the Manor. Ron and Hermione remained at the front of the room, loudly discussing the exact words of the message and how they could bend it in their favor. 

Harry, on the other hand, just sat quietly in his seat. _At least they hadn't threatened to resurrect Voldemort,_ he thought. _Maybe this time they'd give up on that front._ But comedy aside, Harry was pissed. He'd only been able to get two or so years of a normal life; no Death Eaters, no one dying, and no suprise Dark Lords. Evidently, having that for a long time was a silly dream. He'd been cursed to have this upside-down life from the beginning. Hell, since before the beginning. _Stupid prophecy,_ he thought. Against his better judgement, Harry knew that there was only one way to truly get out of this mess; and he'd done it before.

"Hey!" He called everyone's attention as he stood up. The room fell silent at his command. 

"It's no use strategizing; I'll go alone."

\--------------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello! How's that for a bit of a cliffhanger? Huh? I'll admit: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I hope you guys liked reading it!!**

**There isn't much on the announcements front this time... so I'll cut right to the usual message. Thank you guys SO SO MUCH for your love and support! I ADORE opening up my browser and seeing all of your lovely comments, questions, and suggestions! Seriously, THANK YOU!! Keep it going! I'll see you guys soon; happy reading!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**

**(PS for my readers on ao3: Thank you guys so much for 1K hits!!)**


	22. Game Plan

_"It's no use strategizing; I'll go alone."_

James looked up abruptly at his son and let out something like a startled cry. _He wants to go alone?! There's no way he'll survive!_

Everyone else present seemed to agree. Suddenly Harry was the target of a few dozen voices asking him if he was serious and telling him off for even suggesting the idea. 

"Are you insane?!" James heard Hermione screech. "How'd that work out last time, huh?"

"We won the damn war, Hermione," Harry countered.

"You _died!_ " Ron exclaimed.

"Briefly!" Harry protested. "And the plan still worked!"

James pushed Sirius off of his shoulder and stood up, but he found himself at a loss for words. How was he supposed to say what he truly felt about Harry's idea without sobbing on the spot? How was he supposed to counter his son's suicide mission by simply saying, "I can't let you get killed?" How was he supposed to say _anything_ without ranting to the entire crowd about how much Harry meant to him; how after all these years apart James couldn't possibly be expected to let his son leave with the possibility that they'd never see each other again? Despite having only been with his son for a few weeks now he knew that Harry wouldn't step down from an idea like this because James was afraid of losing him again. Harry, like his mother, was a man of strategy, not impulse and emotion. 

As if she could read James' thoughts, Lily chose that moment to speak up. "Everyone _stop_!" She yelled. 

The room became almost silent. Harry and his friends turned their attention to her.

"We know that they have the potion to keep bringing themselves back," Lily said. "If we destroy it and make sure they can't make anymore we've solved a huge part of the problem. After that it's just taking out everyone who they managed to bring back."

"That'll require way too much manpower," Harry countered. "It's too risky; too many people could die. I can't..." Harry's voice trailed off. He paused. "I can't let more innocent people die when there's an obvious solution."

James couldn't take it anymore. "But if you go alone," he said, his voice shaking, "They'll _kill you_."

"Maybe," Harry shrugged. "Or maybe they won't."

James was baffled at Harry's apparent willingness to die. "What do you mean _maybe?"_

"Well, sure," Harry began nonchalantly, "Their life goal or whatever is to kill me; we know that. _But_ mum raised a good point: we saw those potion ingredients. It's apparent that they might be trying to bring back everyone's favorite noseless genocidal maniac. And at least in the first version of that potion... they need me. So they _might_ throw me in a cell and stall for a few days; during which time I can plan and execute a takedown."

James found himself unable to speak again. How could Harry be so willing to die? How was he so ready to jump into this plan in which _he himself_ admitted that he only had a small chance of surviving?

"Mate," Ron butted in. "If you die, we're _screwed_. They'll think they've won; and there's no telling what they'll do after that. I know you were pretending to be dead but surely you must've _heard_ what they said towards the end of the Battle of Hogwarts. They were ready to massacre us all! You can't just go in and give them what they want! We need a plan."

Harry sighed. "We don't have the time-"

"We have two weeks," Hermione interrupted. "With all the preparing we've been doing lately it shouldn't be that hard to come up with a plan."

"Hermione-"

"No, Harry," Her voice begain to rise, "I'm putting my foot down, pulling rank, whatever the hell you want to call it. I'd rather run the small risk of losing a few men and women in a well strategized mission than send you in there to die. Because that _is_ what will happen; they'll kill you and then immediately go for the rest of us. Tens of thousands of people _at least_ will die. You are _not_ going alone; that is my final decision."

There was a moment of silence. Harry and Hermione stared eachother down with looks that made James want to run and hide. Then Harry relented. "We'll need a damn good plan," He said.

Hermione turned her head to the rest of the room. "For the sake of productivity anyone who isn't a Department Head should leave," She said. "We'll form a preliminary plan and call the rest of you back in when it's done for your input and such. In the meantime, go to sleep. It's incredibly late. Dismissed."

Noise erupted as a good majority of the room stood up and left; but James, who knew full well that he was not a Department Head, couldn't seem to leave his seat. It was only when someone tapped him on the shoulder that he even looked away from his son. He turned his head to Lily, who was standing behind him. 

She nodded to the door. "Fred and George are staying here in Remus' place. Let's go."

James took one last glance at Harry and stood up. Gently, he turned back and picked up Sirius, who still had his head down on the table and probably hadn't realized that people were leaving. He followed Lily out of the room and found Dora, who offered to take Sirius to somewhere he could lie down.

James gently shook his brother, who was being held in his arms bridal-style and had his face buried in James' shoulder. "Can I put you down?" James asked. "Is that alright?"

Sirius lifted his head a bit and nodded. James let his feet down first and then let go of his torso. Immediately Dora came to his side and anveloped her cousin in a hug. 

James again found himself unable to move until Lily tapped him on the shoulder. He took her hand and they walked silently to their flat. He was afraid that if he tried to speak he'd start crying and never stop. And he knew that he didn't move when he cried; so if he started before they reched the flat he'd likely end up sleeping in the hallway. 

Once they arrived he immediately sat down on the small couch in the front room and put his face in his hands. His eyes were closed but he could feel Lily sit down next to him. When he looked at her he saw that she was looking down at her feet; her hands were clasped in her lap and her expression was forlorn. It was the same expression he'd seen on her only three other times: when her parents had died, when they had found out Harry was wanted by the Dark Lord before he'd even been born, and when they'd died and realized that they'd never see their son again. 

"He was ready to die," James said quietly. 

Lily met his gaze and nodded, her bottom lip trembling. She let out a short, ragged, breath and pulled James into a hug. She pressed her face into the space just beneath his shoulder blade and began to sob. 

After nearly 30 years of knowing her, seeing Lily cry still felt like a punch in the gut. Already tearing up himself, James lifted her legs so that she was sitting on his lap and wouldn't have to so uncomfortably twist her body like she had been seconds ago. Then he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. He let his tears flow freely as he cried quietly with her. He held onto her so tightly that he didn't notice when she'd stopped crying and fallen asleep in his arms. And eventually he, too, drifted off to sleep. 

\-------------------------------------------------------

James woke up the next morning to the sound of the meeting buzzers going off. Startled, he nearly jumped off of the couch; but stopped when he realized that in doing that he would've thrown his wife to the ground. Instead he gently stood up and carried her into the bedroom. By the time he put her down on the bed she'd woken up. 

"Was that a meeting call I heard?" She asked groggily. 

"Yeah," James answered. "We should go."

He turned away and got dressed as Lily, presumably, did the same. When they were both ready James took her hand as he had the night before and they walked back to the Conference Room. 

The room was almost full when they arrived, so James found a spot against the wall for them to stand. As the crowd settled in he took a moment to assess the faces at the front of the room. Harry and Regulus looked angry; Harry likely because he couldn't go with his original plan. But Regulus? James wasn't sure what was making him so angry. Ron and Hermione, on the other hand, looked nervous; likely because they were about to propose whatever the Department Heads had come up with the night before. 

Out of the blue James noticed that Remus was walking towards him. He smiled as Remus approached and slid in next to him.

"Since when are you up and running the day after a full moon?" James whispered.

Remus grinned. "Since I have wolfsbane. Thanks for that, by the way."

The room became silent as Hermione stood up. "Thank you all for your patience," She began. "The Department Heads and I took our careful time last night to bring you this proposal. It may seem risky, but this is the plan that we determined will yield the best outcome." She walked to a whiteboard at the front of the room that had a few notes scribbled on it. "Our plan is to get into Malfoy Manor, find their potion or wherever they may be making it, and destroy everything that they might use. While this may seem like a simple plan, it has many parts; so bear with me." She wrote the names of each department on the whiteboard. "The first thing we'll need from the Potions Lab is a comprehensive list of the ingredients they wrote down on the papers we took, any other ingredients they could use, and a list of ingredients they could acquire as substitutes."

"How long do I have?" Snape asked from his seat.

"Today is October 1st," Harry cut in. "We leave the morning of the 10th."

Hermione nodded and continued to speak. "As for the day of: we'll need a distraction to get in. Therefore, the Ammunition and Weapons Division will lead the charge and wreak havoc however they see fit."

James felt Lily squeeze his hand. When he looked at her he saw that she was trying to keep her expression neutral; but she wasn't succeeding.

"The Aurors will also help by distracting and clearing a path. You'll be given free reign to deal with Death Eater that tries to attack. Any who don't will be locked in the closest room; they aren't worth our time." 

James squeezed Lily's hand at looked at her again. Now they were both worried about losing the other in battle for the first time in decades.

"Ultimately Ron, Harry, and I will be the ones to go in and destroy the potion. Once we take out their only weapon the rest is just arresting Death Eaters left and right." Hermione paused to let her words resonate. "If anyone has any questions regarding the general strategy, ask them now. Otherwise your Department Heads will explain your individual duties back in your spaces."

No one spoke. As dangerous as the plan sounded, it did seem to James like the best they could offer. 

"No questions?" Hermione asked. 

More silence.

"Good," She said. "Please head to breakfast and then back to your Departments to be briefed more thoroughly on your parts in this plan. Thank you. Dismissed."

The room erupted in anxious chatter as people began to file out. James began to make his way over to Harry, but was stopped by a conversation that caught his attention. 

"What do you _mean_ we can't go?" He heard Sirius exclaim.

"They won't let us," Regulus said. "You I understand; but me? They've lost their minds! I'm the one who actually _knows_ everyone there." 

James moved on. He told himself that he'd tell Regulus later that keeping him here was probably the right idea; given that if he got stuck there his father still knew he'd betrayed them and he'd probably end up worse than his brother. The thought chilled him to the bone. Instead he made one final attempt to reach Harry but was thwarted by Neville, who got to his son first.

"Not to distract from the moment," Neville said excitedly, "But I'm ready. I mean it's- _it's_ ready."

James had no idea what "it" was.

Harry's expression changed from mildly annoyed to elated. "Is it really?"

Neville nodded and laughed a little. "I'm willing, if you need, to wait until this is all over so-"

"No!" Harry exclaimed. "No! You want to wait, are you joking?! Neville, this is incredible! We'll go to St. Mungo's tomorrow after breakfast! I could use the fresh air."

Neville looked stunned. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. I'll tell Hermione right now."

Neville looked as if an incredible weight had been lifted off of his shoulders _and_ as if he'd won the lottery. "Great! Oh, Merlin, this is really happening!"

Harry grinned and pulled him into a tight hug. At the same moment James felt a tap on his shoulder. This time it was Remus.

"We've got to go," He said. "You'll talk to Harry later."

"But-" James protested.

"Nope. Later. C'mon." Remus nearly pulled him away.

James sighed and followed Remus out of the room; unable to talk to his son and unaware of why he was suddenly so excited. _Perhaps I'll find out later,_ he thought.

\----------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello! How was that chapter?? Did all of your cliffhanger questions get answered? I hope so! And I hope you liked reading it as much as I did writing it.**

**I don't have much on the announcements front, so here's a fun fact about me you may have already guessed from the story so far: I _love_ Jily. Good god, they're my favorite couple in the series.**

**At any rate, thank you SO SO much for your love and support! I've seen by my notifications that we have a few new readers who've gone through the whole story in the past few days... welcome! I hope everyone is enjoying the story! Your comments, questions, and suggestions mean the world to me. Keep it up! I'll see you soon, happy reading!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


	23. Family Matters

After that meeting Harry had a lot on his mind; so when it disbanded and each department left to have their own meetings he took the Aurors straight to the training complex for an extended training session. _Maybe it'll clear my head a bit_ , he thought. He had them work on more takedowns, which he figured they'd need when they stormed Malfoy Manor. They trained until it was time to break for lunch and then came back afterwards for their scheduled lesson. It passed without incident, which was remarkable given the fact that Harry was teaching them how to resist the Imperius Curse. 

When the session ended Harry shooed the rest of the Aurors out of the room so he could practice on his own. He was met with protests from both Ron and his mother, who seemed more insistant on actually _talikng_ to him instead of training, but he forced them out remorselessly. He desperately needed time to himself. 

Harry ended up training by himself until it was 30 minutes to dinner. He half jogged-half dragged himself to the showers to wash off the puddle of sweat that was forming on his body. As the cold water flowed from the shower head to his own he rubbed his face with his hands in an effort to take the exhaustion out of his eyes. He sighed. Despite the amount of training he'd done that day his head wasn't nearly as clear as wanted it to be. He still thought about the upcoming mission with near-perfect clarity. He couldn't shake the thought about the many ways it could go wrong, how many people he could lose, some of whom would be dying for the _second time_. Could he bear losing the ones he loved _again_? It didn't matter that inevitably he'd still have Sirius because he couldn't go; if Harry lost his parents for a second time... 

He shook the thoughts away and finished washing up. He turned the water off and reached for his towel to dry himself as much as possible before putting on the change of clothes he'd brought with him. When he was done getting dressed he checked his watch. _Ten minutes to dinner_ , he told himself, _perfect._ He gathered his things and left the training complex, arriving in the cafeteria right as dinner began. He sat down at the usual table with Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, and Ginny. Now that there were enough of them back from the dead the adults had moved to a separate table; but Harry couldn't shake the feeling that his parents were staring at him for the entire meal. 

Dinner passed like any other meal had. Ron and Hermione attempted to get Harry to talk about his day, or his thoughts, or _anything_ really, but he just shook them off and continued to scarf down his food like he hadn't eaten in weeks. He was starving after the amount of exercise he'd gotten that afternoon; but the truth was he just didn't want to talk. He preferred listening to his friends anyway. 

After dinner ended he found himself relaxing in the Common Area; but so did his parents. He saw their faces appear above him as he lay down on one of the couches. Startled, he sat up. They picked some stools in front of him and sat down.

"We're worried about you," His mother said.

"I could tell," Harry deadpanned.

His father let out an exasperated sigh. "We just want to make sure you're okay."

"I am."

"Mentally."

"Oh," Harry paused. "Well that would take a bit of a miracle at this point."

"That's what we mean, Harry," His mother put her hand on his knee. "Last night and this morning you- you were willing to _die_. We're just-" She stopped and used her free hand to wipe away a tear.

His father put an arm over her shoulder and took over. "We just want to help. We don't expect you to be perfectly okay; at this point we know that's a bit much to ask. We... we want you to know that we're here for you. That whatever you need or whatever you want to talk about... we're here for that. You can come and talk to us."

Harry didn't say anything. _Was this what having parents is like?_

"At least nod if you understand," His father pleaded.

Harry sighed. "I'm just worried that in order to save everyone else..." His breath became shaky. His voice wavered with the next words. "...I'll have to lose you guys again."

His father moved to sit next to him and pulled him into a hug. Harry let his head rest on his father's shoulder as his mother joined on his other side and put her arm around him. 

"As much as you're gonna hate hearing this," His father said, "We've lived. Your job is to make sure that as many people get to live as possible. If that means losing us..."

"That's a sacrifice you'll need to make," His mother finished.

"Exactly," His father said. "It won't be easy, but the right thing to do is rarely the easy option."

Harry half-smiled and snuggled into his father's shoulder. He didn't speak; he just enjoyed his parents' company, not knowing how much time he truly had left with them.

\----------------------------------------------

The next morning Harry found himself in a _much_ better mood. He woke up and gathered his things for the day, keeping in mind that he'd be going to St. Mungo's with Neville instead of attending meetings or training. 

Speaking of Neville, when Harry arrived at breakfast the poor man was a nervous wreck. He had shoved his plate of food away from himself and was instead reading from a piece of paper while nervously gnawing on a finger that was halfway stuck in his mouth. 

"Nervous?" Harry asked him as he sat down.

"No, Harry," Neville snapped sarcastically. "I'm not nervous at _all._ In fact, I'm the most confident I've ever been in my entire life!"

"It's okay to be nervous!" Harry laughed. "This is a big deal. But, if it helps, I have full confidence in you; we wouldn't be going today if you didn't think it would work."

Neville sighed and went back to staring at the paper he was holding. He didn't look back up until breakfast had ended and people began to disperse; at which point he began to shake from the nerves.

"You ready?" Harry asked.

Neville nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be. I have everything in my bag.

Harry said a quick goodbye to his parents but didn't tell them where he was going; he wanted this to either be a pleasant surprise or, if it failed, to not be discussed at all for Neville's sake.

Neville was waiting for him at the door to the cafeteria. After one last check he took his hand and the scenery around them changed to the lobby of a hospital. The room swarmed with wizards and witches sporting Healer's cloaks, bandages, and open wounds waiting to be treated. A desk in the center was mobbed by people demanding to speak to a Healer, but Harry and Neville didn't bother with checking in; instead they made a beeline for the stairs and climbed to the fourth floor. When they arrived, to Harry's dismay, the ward was far busier than usual.

"Okay," Neville began, catching his attention. "I'm going to talk to the Healers that look after my parents. I'll have to show them the ingredients I used and how I made the potion for them to approve its usage. This might take a while; why don't you take a walk around and I'll call you when I have an answer."

"You won't need me there?" Harry asked.

"Nah, I'll be fine. Seriously. I'll call if I need anything."

"Alright," Harry relented. "Good luck."

Neville smiled and walked away towards two Healers that were chatting on the opposite side of the room.

Harry turned and decided to take a few laps around the floor to calm his remaining nerves. He walked though hallway after hallway, pausing a few times to say hello to anyone that called out to him, including a few small children who were visiting a relative and had stared at him with awe as he assured them that everything would be alright. He didn't mind stopping to greet fans of his, but it was the children that always made him smile uncontrollably for the rest of his visit.

But what really made his day was what he found in the last hallway he walked through. When he turned the corner he saw two small figures at the other end that he recognized immediately. A surge of joy ripped through his nervous system as he called out to them.

"DOBBY! WINKY!" He shouted gleefully, running at near full speed down the hallway.

The two elves turned around at the sound of their names being called. Harry saw Dobby's face split into a wide grin.

"Harry Potter!" He exclaimed. "Dobby has found you! At last!" 

Harry laughed as he scooped him up into his arms and twirled around. He gave Winky an equally tight hug after setting Dobby down on the ground and kneeling beside them. "How long have you two been here?" He asked them.

"Dobby doesn't know," Dobby answered. "Dobby has lost track."

"Do you work here?"

"No," Winky answered quetly. "Only shelter."

"Well then," Harry sat back on his feet. "You two should come back with me! We'll keep you safe."

"Dobby would love that! Dobby has missed you, Harry Potter!"

Harry smiled even wider. "You have to promise me something, Dobby: no more saving my life, okay? It tends to get you very hurt."

Dobby nodded right as Harry's phone rang. He picked it up.

"We're ready," Neville's voice cracked through the line.

"Be right there," Harry said excitedly. He hung up the phone and stood up.

"Follow me guys," He beckoned the two elves to his side. "We have to do one thing before we leave."

Harry walked briskly back to where he'd left Neville an hour before. When he arrived he saw Neville and his parents in a room on the side. He told Dobby and Winky to sit in some chairs nearby and walked inside. 

"I'll have them drink the potions," Neville said as he entered. "If something goes really wrong you'll..."

"I'll restrain them," Harry finished.

"Yeah." Neville walked up to his parents, who were sitting calmly at the edges of their own beds, and handed each of them an open vial that was half full of a liquid which reminded Harry of a pensive. 

"Drink it," He told them.

Frank and Alice stared at their vials for a few seconds and then in near unison drank everything inside. Neville hurriedly took the vials away from them, expecting the change to be immediate, but it wasn't. Agonizing seconds passed with absolutely no movement. Harry heard Neville whimper beside him as they stared at his parents, who showed absolutely no signs of being affected by the potion.

Harry put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "Maybe it-"

Just as he spoke both Frank and Alice suddenly fell backwards onto their beds. Neville screamed and rushed to his father's side as Harry went to check on Alice. He put two fingers to her neck to check for a pulse. It was there. As he leaned over her to check for other signs of life her eyes flew open as if she'd woken up from a bad dream.

"Frank?!" She called immediately. Her tone was urgent and afraid. "Frank?!" She looked at Harry, who was still towering over her, and froze. "James?" She was confused now. "But- you're dead. Am I dead? Frank?!"

"Ma'am," Harry kept his voice calm as he notced Neville staring with shock in his eyes. "I'm not James. And you aren't dead. Frank is right there." He pointed over to the bed where Neville's father was now beginning to stir. 

"What's going on?" Alice asked as she sat up. "Are we at St. Mungo's? What-" She stopped abruptly as her eyes found her son. "...Neville?"

"Mom..." Neville said feebly. "You- you recognize me?"

"How could I not recognize my own son?" She responded. "How- how much time has it been? My memory isn't coming back all at once."

Neville opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by his father's own urgency.

"Alice?!" He called. "Where are- Neville?"

Neville nearly began to sob as he picked up his father and pulled him into a tight hug. Alice jumped out of her bed and joined as Frank wrapped his arms around his son. 

Harry watched as the three of them had a proper reunion, unable to wipe the wide smile off of his face. He only grew happier as Neville excitedly told them how he'd made the potion to bring them back. He only sobered up a tad when one of the Healers came in to conduct a full checkup and told the boys they'd have to leave the room while it happened. 

Out in the hallway Neville tackled Harry in a tight hug. They laughed as Neville cried tears of joy.

"You did it!" Harry exclaimed. "Neville, you freaking did it!"

"Yeah!" Neville responded through happy tears. "Holy shit!" He pulled away from Harry and wiped a few tears off of his face. "Plus," He laughed. "It's a big 'screw you' to Snape for thinking I was rubbish at potions."

Harry laughed as the door opened behind them and Frank and Alice stepped out, accompanied by the Healer.

"They're all good, Neville," The Healer said, smiling. "They have their things with them. You can go home! Congratulations." 

Harry and Neville exchanged grins. Harry quickly ran to get Dobby and Winky, who had remained in their seats, and returned with them just as Neville finished giving his parents a short briefing.

"Everyone ready to go home?" Harry asked the group.

A chorus of 'yes' and nodding followed. Harry grinned and stuck out his hands for people to grab. When they were all sufficiently connected Harry closed his eyes and felt the scenery shift for the second time today; but this time his head was finally clear.

\----------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello! How was that chapter?? Long? Yeah, I thought so. But I hope you liked it! The next chapter will likely be a little calmer and should be out on schedule; so look out for that!**

**Nothing more for announcements, so I'll give you guys a helpful tip instead: for any information about the HP series, you should check out the HP Lexicon if you haven't already. It's a SUPER helpful website that gives you pretty much everything you need to know about the series and the universe it takes place in. Go check it out!**

**As always, thank you so much for your comments, questions, and suggestions! Your support means everything to me! I'll see you guys soon, happy reading!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


	24. Be Prepared

Neville could hardly contain his excitement as they apparated back to Headquarters, but was able to pause his giddy thoughts when Harry nearly collapsed as they landed. Neville caught him _just_ before he would've given himself a concussion.

"I'm fine," Harry insisted as Neville stood them up. "Just had a lot of people to deal with this time." 

"Yeah, yeah," Neville said. He noticed that they were standing in the Security Bay, which meant that Harry had chosen not to bypass it like he normally did. _This must've been a big jump for him_ , Neville thought to himself. 

"Hello," A voice chirped through the speakers in the ceiling. "Do you have clearance?"

Harry grunted and reached into his pocket. He took out a badge similar to the ones Neville had seen other Aurors wear and held it up over his head. 

Seconds later a wall on one side of them split open to reveal the first hallway in the Joint Forces' Headquarters. Neville turned to his parents and the two elves beside them and beckoned them to follow him. With Harry leaning on him a bit for support, he made a beeline for the infirmary. Once inside he had Harry sit down to rest and then sat himself down on another bed. He looked around; the infirmary had been recently deserted for lunch.

Then Neville's attention turned to his parents, _his parents_ , who were standing awkwardly in the front of the room. His heart swelled with so many emotions at once he thought it was going to burst. _Was this how Harry had felt?_ He asked himself. _No. No, I did this. I'm the reason they're here._ A new emotion joined the cluster that was forming in his chest: pride. It made him grin from ear to ear. 

"Neville," Harry interrupted his thoughts from where he was lying on his back. "Aren't you going to fill them in?"

Neville snapped himself out of his trance and stood up. He walked towards his parents but couldn't find the right words to begin. And as his mother held out her arms to him he found himself beginning to cry tears of joy yet again.

"Welcome home," He sniffled as his parents pulled him into a tight embrace.

"We're so proud of you," His father whispered into his hair. 

Neville gave himself a minute to collect his thoughts, then pushed himself out of his parents' arms. "I should probably catch you up," He said. "We could do that here or over lunch; take your pick."

His parents exchanged a look. "We're pretty hungry," His mother said. "Just tell us what today's date is before we go so we don't look like complete idiots."

That made Neville laugh a little. "It's October 2nd, 2001."

The looks on his parents faces told him all he needed to know. They were devastated. "There's a lot you'll need to tell us, then," His mother mumbled. 

"We have all the time we need," Neville assured them. "Sort of."

"You do," Harry said as he walked towards them. "The other medics here can cover for you until you're ready." He jerked his head towards the hallway as he picked up Dobby and Winky like he would his godson. Neville assumed that was for the sake of speed, or not letting them get run over accidentally, or both. "Let's go eat."

Neville and his parents followed Harry and the elves out of the infirmary. As they walked Neville gave them a brief tour of Headquarters. He pointed out the Potions Lab, Weapons Lab, and other rooms as they passed. He purposely refrained from mentioning any of their friends, as he wanted to keep that part a surprise. 

When they arrived in the Cafeteria Neville spotted Ron, Hermione, and Ginny sitting at a table with Harry's parents, the Lupins, Sirius, and Regulus. _We may need a bigger table now_ , he thought. _Or the adults are gonna have to start sitting with themselves._

Ron, who was seated facing him, broke Neville's train of thought with his startled yelp. 

"Dobby?!" He called out. "DOBBY!" He jumped out of his seat and ran at full speed towards Harry, who laughed and set Dobby down so he could run to the redhead on his own accord. He lifted the elf off the ground effortlessly and spun him around as Harry made his way over and began to explain how they'd found each other. 

Neville hadn't even noticed that anything else had happened until he tore his eyes away from his friends just in time to see his mother crash into Lily and begin to sob onto her shoulder. He found his father closer to the table Ron had come from being tackled by James, Sirius, and Remus. Neville smiled and made his way to the table where Regulus, Tonks, and Teddy were left sitting.

"Okay," Tonks demanded as he sat down, "What did you do?" 

"I may have made a potion..." Neville muttered, still grinning. 

"Hey!" Tonks used her free hand to lightly jab at Neville's upper arm. "Don't be so humble about it! That's incredible!" 

Neville let his smile grow wider before realizing that he hadn't gotten his food yet. He stood up as his stomach growled out a reminder and excused himself from the table. He let his parents chat with their friends, figuring they wouldn't need directions to the buffets. When he returned with his food the tabe had somehow expanded itself to fit more people. He found a spot between his parents and sat down quietly, not wanting to interrupt their happy chatter. Instead he watched them enjoy everyone's company however they liked. He was just thrilled that they were okay.

\-------------------------------------------------------

In the days after Neville had successfully brought his parents back from St. Mungos, he kept a close eye on them as they adjusted to life in the Joint Forces. To his surprise, aside from a few introductions to "new" technology, they had little trouble fitting in. They'd both chosen to continue as Aurors; however Neville made it clear to them every time they came to the Infirmary for a checkup that they could switch jobs to something less stressful for them whenever they wanted. 

Neville himself, on the other hand, spent his time in the infirmary preparing field kits with the other medics for the Aurors to use at Malfoy Manor. When he wasn't building kits he was training small groups of Aurors on how to use each item that they included. He also devoted a bit of time to giving basic medical training to Sirius and Regulus, who were both still pissed that they weren't allowed to go to the Manor; but they'd be damned if they couldn't be useful. 

The days passed in a blur, and suddenly it was October 9th; the day before the Battle of Malfoy Manor, as Harry had coined it. Neville had spent all day giving people their last checkups, consulting Aurors who wanted to make sure they could wrap gauze correctly, and preparing the infirmary for the likely influx of urgent patients that would arrive the next day. By the time dinner came around Neville was more than ready to get a good night's sleep; he couldn't imagine how exhausted the Aurors must have felt.

The nervous atmosphere in the Cafeteria was thick enough to choke Neville as he entered. The collective anxiety fell like a dense fog over the room. Neville sat at a table with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and the Weasely Twins, who were all deep in conversation about something he'd missed. He took one last glance at his parents, who had formed a table with the other adults, and then tuned in to the discussion at hand.

"...he's coordinating with other House Elves to get information and possibly join us in battle," Harry said, likely talking about Dobby.

"Then you have to let him go with them," Hermione argued. "You can't keep him here just because you're worried he'll die again."

Harry began to pout but didn't argue. "We'll see what happens."

Neville ate his food as the topic switched from elves to explosives to sneak tactics. He gave occasional input when it came to possible injuries and how to fix them in the field, but his nerves kept him quiet for most of the meal. Nearly an hour passed before Neville noticed that people were beginning to leave. He stood up and took his plate but barely moved an inch before Harry stopped him.

"Wait a sec-" Harry jumped out of his seat and walked past Neville towards the front of the room. "I wanted to say something to everyone before we split up." 

Neville sat back down as Harry made his way to the doors. He found a chair nearby and pulled it in front of the doorway. He stood on top of it and called for everyone's attention. 

"Hey!" He called out. "Could I have your attention for a minute?"

The room fell so silent that Neville was sure he'd be able to hear a pin be _placed_ on the ground.

"This is likely the last time we'll have everyone here in the same room before we leave tomorrow," Harry began, "So I wanted to say a few things." He paused and scratched the back of his neck. "I'm not much of a motivational speaker but, uhh, I want to let you know that..." His voice trailed to a halt and he stopped. A few seconds of silence followed before he shook his head and began again. "No. I'm gonna tell you guys what I wish I'd said before the Battle of Hogwarts; what I wish someone had told me before I started fighting bad guys for a living, whenever the hell that started exactly." He paused again and took a deep breath. "This is gonna suck; I'll be perfectly honest with you. It's gonna be hell on earth. We're facing a dangerous enemy that seems impossible to kill off. A lot of us will get hurt. A few of us may end up facing off with people who we once called our friends, or even our families."

A chorus of uncomfortable shuffling came in response to Harry's last sentence.

"It's going to be an awful day all around. And I'm going to be brutally honest with you..." Harry stopped, closed his eyes for a second, and continued, "...we may lose a few men and women. We did during the first war, we did during the second; it would be naiive of us to not expect any casualties the third time around. And it's going to hurt because it always does and despite what we've seen in the past few weeks there's really nothing we can do about it."

This time when Neville looked around he saw couples pulling each other closer and families holding hands. He saw faces streaked with tears and heads resting on the shoulders of companions. He saw his parents staring at him and as they locked eyes he began to feel grief stronger than he ever had before; because now he had parents to lose.

"The reason I'm telling you this," Harry continued. "Is because I've seen how we, as an organization, have been preparing. I've seen Aurors go through simulations in the training complex as if it were a real battle. I've seen medics in the infirmary practice bandaging each other as if they were on death's door at that moment. And every time I see that I grow more and more confident that when we march into Malfoy Manor tomorrow the Death Eaters won't stand a chance. That at the end of the day, like every war before this one, we'll come home as the victors. And while it won't be in one piece, we'll leave knowing that we fought for what's right. And to me, that's far more than enough to keep myself satisfied."

The distraught looks that Neville had observed earlier had changed to sad smiles.

Harry sighed. "I can't tell you much more than I already have at this point. Finish your preparations if needed and then get to sleep; you'll need it. When you wake up tomorrow you bring your things to breakfast and we leave from there. Good night... and good luck." Harry's face split into a reassuring smile. "We've got this."

A deafening round of applause erupted as Harry stepped down from his chair and moved it to the side. As he made his way back through the room Neville thought about what he'd said. There was no way all of his nerves had left, but oddly enough he felt much better. Harry was right; no matter what happened tomorrow Neville would always rather lose for the good guys than win with the bad ones. Nothing would ever change that.

\---------------------------------------

**A/N:  
**

**Hello! That was a bit of an awkward chapter to write... I hope you guys liked it though! As you probably could figure out the next few chapters will be at Malfoy Manor- so expect LOTS of action. I'm super excited. The first of those chaps should be out on Friday!!**

**I have nothing else to say, so as always thank you guys SO SO MUCH for your love and support!! For my wattpad readers, thank you for 200+ votes!! Your comments, questions, and suggestions mean the world to me. Keep it up!! I'll see you guys soon, happy reading!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


	25. How We Go To War

To say that Remus "woke up" the next morning would be generous; it was more that he stopped trying to sleep when the alarm clock told him to. He groaned and rolled out of bed, using a sluggish arm to slap the alarm into silence. He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes... then it hit him: _Today_ they were going to Malfoy Manor. 

Remus sighed. All of the preparations they'd been doing, all of the time he'd spent in the Weapons Lab building items and then teaching Aurors how to use some of them, the mornings he'd spent in the conference room, they were all building up to _today_. The day that they would finally, hopefully, dismantle the Death Eaters for good was _today_. 

He turned around, hoping to speak to Dora, but she wasn't there. Remus stood up and left their room to look for her. When he entered the living room he found her sitting on the small couch and playing with Teddy, who was bouncing on her lap. Remus leaned on the doorway and let his heart ache. He knew that both of them needed to go on this mission; but he couldn't ignore what happened last time they'd both left him to fight. He didn't know if he could lose his son again.

"You're awake." Dora's words snapped Remus out of his thoughts. 

He forced a sad smile and shrugged. "I wouldn't say that I really _slept_."

"That makes two of us," Dora said. She paused and stared at their son. "I should get dressed and get my stuff. Do you-"

Remus was already at the couch by the time she finished the first sentence. "I've got him," He said softly. 

Teddy nearly jumped into his arms. "Dada!" He squealed.

Remus smiled as he held his son close and took Dora's place on the couch. "Good morning," he said, kissing the curly mess of hair on top of his head. 

"Mommy said you guys have to leave today," Teddy said abruptly, "Is it like last time? When are you coming back?"

The questions hit Remus like a freight train. He knew that Harry had covered for his and Dora's absence as just "they had to leave," but he was still shocked at how _aware_ of it Teddy was. Remus gathered his thoughts. "Hopefully..." He began. "Hopefully it won't be long."

"How long?" 

"I don't know, Teddy." Remus pulled his son even closer. "But it shouldn't be nearly as long as last time. And besides; no matter how long it takes you'll have Harry and Grandma. You like them, right?"

"I like you and mommy more."

Remus was thankful that Teddy had buried his head into his shirt, otherwise he would have seen the tears that raced down his cheeks. He was even more thankful that Dora came back out of the bedroom with her things just in time to relieve Remus of hiding his emotions; or, rather, enable it. She picked Teddy out of his arms and he left the room quickly. 

Remus busied himself with getting dressed to avoid breaking down. He pulled a knapsack out of the small closet and filled it with the first aid kit he'd been given, as well as a few items he'd been able to take from the Weapons Lab. The rest would be filled up later. When he was ready to go he checked his watch. 7:30, _perfect_. 

Dora stood up as he entered the living room and picked up her bag. They stared at each other silently, not needing words to express how they felt. Remus made a beeline for the door and opened it for Dora, who had her hands full. They walked to the Cafeteria in silence. 

Inside the Cafeteria Remus was practicaly smothered by the tangible anxiety that felt like a dense fog around the room. He and Dora got their food made their way to the usual table. There they sat amongst their friends, most of whom were either stuffing their faces or deep in discussion... or both. Oddly enough, however, Sirius and Regulus were doing _neither_. 

Remus nudged Sirius, who was sitting next to him. "What's up?"

"What," Sirius said, somehow taking offense, "I'm not allowed to be nervous?"

"I never said that. You're nervous?"

"Of course I am, did you forget what today is?"

"No. But... you aren't going."

"That's the problem! I'm _not_ going and nearly everyone I have to lose _is_ going!"

"You think I'm gonna die out there?"

"Someone is." Sirius began to pick at his food. "I've already lost everything once; I'm not too interested in doing it again." 

"Sirius-" Remus was interrupted by Teddy pulling at his shirt. He smiled at his son and oulled him onto his lap; but when he turned back to finish his sentence it was obvious that Sirius wasn't in the mood to talk anymore. Remus sighed and gave his friend a gentle pat on the back before digging into his own food.

The rest of breakfast passed in a blur as Remus focused on his food and his son. Before he knew it Hermione was calling for attention at the front of the room.

"I'm not good at motivational speeches," She began, "I think Harry spoke very well last night. Just know that I have the utmost confidence in all of you."

A few cheers rang out around the room.

"But now is our time to act," She continued. "Once I finish with directions, you may move: Ammunition and Weapons, along with any Auror who is in Squad One, you will go immediately to the Security Deck and await Harry's instructions. All other aurors and field medics will gather in the Common Area and await Ron's cue to leave. Is everyone clear?"

Remus nodded and saw all of his friends do the same. No one spoke. 

"Wonderful," Hermione said. "Then good luck. Let's go."

The room erupted in confident shouts, nervous chatter, and loud commands. Remus stood up with Teddy in his arms and was immediately face to face with Andromeda. He took one last look at Teddy, kissed the little boy on his forehead, held him close, and then handed him to Dora so she could say her goodbyes. "I love you," He whispered as his son left his arms.

Remus gave Dora a quick peck on the cheek as he felt Sirius tap his shoulder. He turned and saw his best friend close to tears. Sirius wrapped his arms around Remus' torso. Remus laughed a little and draped his own arms around Sirius' shoulders. When he looked up he noticed James staring at the two of them. All it took was making eye contact for him to walk over and throw his arms around the two of them. Remus took one of his arms and moved it to James' shoulder.

"Can you guys swear you'll be back?" Sirius asked quietly.

Remus saw James grin. "We solemnly swear," He said. 

Satisfied, Sirius let go and looked both of them in their eyes. "You better keep that promise," he said. Without letting either Remus or James respond, he turned away and walked over to Dora.

James sighed. "Let's go."

Together the two of them jogged to the Lab and picked up the remaining sets of weapons that they needed. When their bags were full they walked the final few meters to the Security Deck, where Fred and George were waiting for them.

Remus allowed himself some time to think. Despite all of the training he'd been through, he knew only one thing would get him through this battle: having something to come home to; in this case, his son. _On that note,_ he thought...

"James," He said.

"Yeah?"

"Could we make a promise to not orphan any more children today?" He asked. "Specifically _our_ children?"

James laughed a little. "Yeah... yeah I think I can promise that."

At that moment Harry emerged from the crowd of Aurors and positioned himself at the door to the Security Deck. "Looks like everyone's here," He said. 

The noise in the hallway came to a screeching halt as he spoke.

"You'll apparate in groups to the forest near Malfoy Manor. Find a place to hide along the edge and await my signal. You'll know it when you see it."

Remus saw the Aurors nod their heads. _Would he know it?_

"We don't have any time to waste," Harry said. "Ammunition and Weapons, you're up first." He opened the door and Remus followed his department into a small-ish room with a glass panel on one wall. On the other side of the glass sat Luna Lovegood.

"Everyone ready?" She asked.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Remus answered.

"Good enough," She said. 

And with a push of a button the scenery around Remus changed. The four of them were now standing in a dense forest. 

"There!" George pointed to Malfoy Manor, which appeared about a hundred or so meters to their right.

Remus motioned for the group to follow him as they made their way, quietly, to the edge of the forest. He found a spot behind a large tree and got down on his knees. He felt James kneel behind him and saw the twins move to sit behind another tree. Remus looked behind him. If he hadn't known to look for the Aurors, he probably wouldn't have seen them; they were masters of sneaking around. They were so quiet that Remus nearly had a heart attack when Harry showed up at his side. 

"Didn't mean to scare you," Harry whispered. "Just wanted to let you know that your department should be splitting up. We can't have everyone go through the main entrance. The twins know."

"Where the hell are we supposed to go in, then?" Remus hissed back. 

"Up there," James murmured, pointing to an open window on the second floor. 

"How-"

James shifted in his place and pulled a broom out of his bag. "I was hoping my Quidditch skills would be of use. Just have some smoke bombs ready to toss in before us."

Harry grinned. "It's go time. You'll see the signal in a minute."

As he left Remus took a few smoke bombs out of his bag. He glanced over at the twins, who were armed and kneeling as if they were about to run a race. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and-

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" 

Remus opened his eyes just in time to see a massive stag patronus bound towards the Manor. 

" _That's_ the signal," James said. He stood up rapidly and mounted the broom. Remus jumped on behind him and wrapped his arms tightly around his waist. The broom lurched and flung them up into the sky as Remus saw Fred, George, and dozens of Aurors sprint towards the Manor down below. The fight was on.

Instead of going for the open window he'd pointed out James flew them to the back of the castle. "We want to corner them from all sides," he yelled above the wind roaring in their ears. 

On the other side of the Manor they spotted a few open windows. James flew towards one in the center as Remus readied the smoke bombs he was holding and once they got close enough he threw them in. The bombs exploded just before they dropped through the window, clouding the hallway with a thick smoke. As soon as his feet touched the ground Remus began to fling an assortment of explosives and aerosol-based potions down the side of the hallway closest to him as James did the same towards the other end. They heard shouting from both sides and began to sprint forward; chucking their nearly endless supply of "harmless" pranks behind them to disable their opponents.

Remus and James ran faster than they ever had before. Remus felt his reflexes become sharper than ever. He dodged every spell that was flung at them and was able to immediately fire back with the first thing he pulled from his belt. They streaked through the hallways, leaving a colorful yet destructive mess in their wake. Flash-bombs that didn't detonate when thrown did so when an unsuspecting Death Eater stepped on it, throwing them backwards and likely blinding them in the process. 

As they neared towards the center of the Manor Remus and James passed a few Aurors. Remus saw them take down Death Eater after Death Eater with their wands, their hands, or both. When they were near Aurors, however, Remus and James lowered the intensity of what they were throwing and relied more on smoke bombs and their own wands instead. 

About three hours in Remus rounded a corner only to find James hadn't followed him. "James?" He called. He looked around and spotted his friend standing still and looking down the hallway they'd come from. Remus walked towards him, but it was the look on his face that made Remus cautious. His jaw was clenched the same way it had been when it was revealed that Sirius was in danger. 

"James-" Remus touched his shoulder. He didn't even flinch. "-What's going-"

Peter was standing at the other end of the hallway. 

Remus couldn't let them get distracted. He tgged at James' sleeve like a toddler does to their parents. "He's not worth it. Let's go."

"No," James said. Something flashed in his eyes that Remus could only describe as _murder_. "He gets what he deserves. Now."

\---------------------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello! HA! CLIFFHANGER!**

**So how was that chapter?? Good? Good. I had fun writing it. The next one will be out Monday, as per usual.**

**No announcements, really, but I am in the mood for some _healthy_ discourse. So: what are your opinions on Snape? Is he good? Bad? Both? Drop a comment and discuss RESPECTFULLY!! (I have my opinions set I just wanna see where my readers stand and, no, it will not affect how I write him)**

**At any rate, thank you SO MUCH for your continued love and support! Your comments, questions, and suggestions mean the WORLD to me! I'm glad you like the book! I'll see you soon, happy reading!**

**Best**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


	26. Storm The Manor

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry held himself in place as the kickback from the Patronus Charm threatened to fling him onto his back. A large, ghost-like stag emerged from the tip of his wand and galloped towards Malfoy Manor before dissolving itself at the entrance. 

Thankfully the others had gotten the cue. Harry saw his first wave of Aurors run at the Manor from all sides of the clearing and get themselves inside with the help of Fred, George, and some explosives. The other half of the Ammunition and Weapons Division had taken off on a broom and disappeared behind the building. Harry figured Remus had suggested an all-sides approach. _Smart_. 

Within a few minutes the second wave of Aurors, including a few trained field medics, was in the forest around him. Ron and Hermione appeared on either side of him and crouched down. 

"Everyone's here and in place," Ron said. "It's on your mark." 

Harry checked his watch. It had been ten minutes since the first wave had rushed in. He looked back up at his friends. "Let's go over the plan."

"We know where their lab is, thanks to Regulus," Hermione said. "We go in, get there by any means necessary, destroy everything, and get out. We'll send out a signal when we're done; arrests can be made later if needed."

"How will we know we've got the right potion?" Ron asked. 

Harry thought about it. "We'll know," He mused. "Like we always do." He turned to Ron and smirked. "Has my gut ever been wrong?"

"Let's be honest here," Ron jabbed. "It hasn't always been 100% right."

Harry laughed. "Alright, let's do this." He stood up and thrust his wand out in front of him. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" He yelled again. Another ghost-like stag left his wand and raced towards the Manor. 

The second wave of Aurors recognized the cue just as quickly and sprinted from their hiding spots. They made it to the Manor and disappeared behind doorways and open windows. Some Aurors threw smoke bombs, supplied to them by the Ammunition and Weapons Division, through the windows before entering. 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat silently for a few minutes to give the second wave enough time to clear more space. Harry let his head fall as he tried to mentally prepare himself for this mission; but every time he tried to walk himself through the strategy his thoughts drifted to his parents. He couldn't focus without worrying about them. The feeling was jarring. He han't had someone like this to lose in years. 

"We should go in," Hermione said, breaking Harry's train of thought. "Everyone ready?"

"Only because I have to be," Ron cracked.

"Amen," Harry snorted. 

"Harry," Hermione instructed. "As Head Auror, you'll lead us in and make the final calls." She took a deep breath. "On my mark."

Harry adjusted so that he was ready to take off at Hermione's call.

"Three,"

Harry looked at Ron. He'd been Harry's right hand man ever since that first train ride to Hogwarts. His loyalty was both his biggest strength and his greatest weakness. Ron would gladly sacrifice himself, like he did in that Wizard's Chess game in their first year, if it meant that anyone else was going to survive.

"Two,"

He looked at Hermione, who had spent the last few months as the sole head of the Joint Forces. It was her decision-making that had given them this plan. Her face said it all; she'd die if it meant that the Death Eaters, an organization that wanted her dead for simply having the nerve to exist, were gone for good.

"One,"

Harry looked at the Manor. He just hoped no one would have to die on his behalf.

"NOW!"

Harry took off at the sound of Hermione's yell. His legs carried him in a sprint towards Malfoy Manor. He could hear his friends' heavy breathing behind him as they ran through the doorway and into the chaos. 

The lobby of the Manor was a mess. Debris was strewn across the floor and thanks to the work of the AWD nearly every surface was covered in the residue of one prank-weapon or another. The Aurors had managed to drive all of the Death Eaters out of the room and into other parts of the building; which meant their plan was working so far. 

Harry looked around the lobby for a particular hallway marked with a burn on the wall above it. Regulus had told him that it happened when his mother had tried to hex him as a child for misbehaving but her aim had been thrown off by Sirius; who had lunged at her to keep Regulus safe. Regulus didn't see what happened to him after that, but neither he nor Harry figured they'd need to do much thinking to sort it out. 

He found the hallway in question after a few seconds and beckoned Ron and Hermione to follow him. He followed the directions Regulus had given to him from memory after that; stopping at the end of every hallway to make sure they weren't about to run into anyone's crossfire. As they got closer to the center of the Manor the frequency of Aurors, Death Eaters, and duels increased tenfold. Thankfully the Aurors were doing their job of keeping the attention off of Harry and his friends. Only a few Death Eaters were even available to stop and deal with them. The few that did were inexperienced and easily defeated. 

Malfoy Manor was one giant maze, just as Harry remembered. Combined with the frequent pauses to make sure their path was clear and the less frequent, but still prevalent, stops to deal with the enemy it took him, Ron, and Hermione just over an hour to finally reach their destination. The Manor's Potions Lab was marked with a plaque on the wall bearing its name. 

Harry signaled to Ron to open the wooden door as he stood in front with his wand at the ready. As it swung outward Harry jumped inside and combed the room with his wand. No one was inside. Instead they found hundreds of vials, bottles of ingredients, and cauldrons placed on shelves and tables around the room. There were even some cauldrons out with potions brewing inside; likely abandoned when the Joint Forces had begun their attack. There was a good chance those potions were the very ones that Harry sought to destroy. 

"Destroying this room might have dire consequences," Hermione said abruptly.

"Explain?" Ron asked.

"Certain ingredients could mix and cause catastrophic damage," Hermione answered. "We could kill everyone here!" 

"So we blow it up," Harry suggested. 

" _What-_ " Hermione began.

"If we set the whole room off and put a protection spell around it," Harry interrupted, "No one gets hurt and none of the ingredients are usable anymore."

"That's actually not a terrible idea," Ron said. 

"Once we set that off we'd need to be out of the room and put up the spell as _soon_ as possible." Hermione advised. 

Harry shrugged. "I'll fire, you slam the door shut, Ron puts up the protection spell. Simple. Let's go outside."

Harry followed Hermione and Ron back out of the room. He repositioned himself in front of the door as Hermione moved to the other side and put her hands on the wood and got ready to push. Ron stood beside him, wand out and ready to go. 

"Ready?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded.

"Let's set some shit on fire," Ron said.

"Alright," Harry said, aiming his wand at the interior of the room. "Three, two, one-" Harry let out a yell as a stream of Fiendfyre erupted from the tip of his wand. He extinguished it just as quickly and Hermione slammed the door shut as he dove out of the way for Ron's spells. Once Hermione moved Ron quickly and expertly doused the room in protective magic. The fire and explosions inside roared loud enough to make the three of them fall backwards and cover their ears; and soon enough the Fiendfyre had nothing more to disintegrate and snuffed itself out. 

Harry cautiously opened the door. Everything inside was charred black and unusable. _They'd done it. They'd done it! After all they'd been through-_

A searing pain interrupted Harry's thoughts as it ripped through his head. It blinded him and made him sink to his knees with a whimper. He heard Ron and Hermione call out to him, but it sounded like they were miles away and he was underwater. When he opened his eyes they weren't next to him anymore. He was in the conference room that he'd snuck into with Ron during their last visit. The room was mostly bare except for a large cauldron on one side. Bellatrix, Lucius, and Dolohov were standing next to it; they were panicking. 

"We need to do this _now_ ," Bellatrix snapped. "He's so close! I can feel it! It's like he's speaking to me!"

"We can't risk going out to find Potter-" Lucius began.

"But he's _here_!" Bellatrix exclaimed. "He has to be!" 

"We'll be killed if we go out there," Lucius said. "Better he come here and be outnumbered."

The voices swirled together in Harry's mind and made room for those of his worried friends. He opened his eyes again and found himself sitting against the wall outside the Potions Lab. 

"Harry!" Hermione gasped. 

"Are you alright, mate?" Ron asked. His hand was grasping Harry's shoulder.

Harry took a few deep, shaking breaths to collect himself. His hand flew to the scar that had left him alone for three years now. "We didn't do it," He gasped. "Bellatrix, Lucius, and Dolohov are hiding with a cauldron in the conference room."

"And you saw that?" Hermione asked.

"My scar," Harry breathed. "I think..."

"Voldemort." Ron's face was grim. 

Harry nodded. "He's contacting me; which means he's almost back. We have to stop them."

The three of them exchanged a look. Hermione nodded and began to help Harry to his feet. "Lead the way," She said to Harry.

Harry took off in a jog. He did his best to remember where the conference room even was, but it took them nearly another hour of cautious jogging and brief encounters with overconfident Death Eater footsoldiers to find the double doors that they were looking for. Harry put his hand on the handle and looked as his friends one last time. Both of them had their wands at the ready. He turned back to the door, sighed, and pushed it open.

Standing inside were Bellatrix, Lucius, and Dolohov; just as he remembered. The cauldron sat a few meters behind them. When Bellatrix saw them her face broke into a sneer.

"Aww," She cooed. "Baby Potter! Long time, no see."

"I was hoping to keep it that way," Harry cracked.

"No time for jokes, Potter." Bellatrix snapped. "We've been expecting you."

"Aren't you always expecting me?"

"Yes, but now your timing is perfect." Her smile was almost frighteningly wide. She glanced at each of the two men beside her. When she looked back at Harry, he noticed her knife was out and at her side. "You're just in time to help us ressurect the Dark Lord!"

_No shit, Sherlock._

\--------------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello! Man, I am ruthless with these cliffhangers! I know this chapter was a tad shorter; but I wanted a good ending so here we are. Did you like it? I hope so. Next one will be out on Friday!**

**I loved the Snape discussion last week; so I think I'll continue the prompts at the end of chapters. Here's this chapter's prompt: Who is your favorite (canon or not) couple in the series and why? Mine is Jily. I can't really explain it very well; but I LOVE them!**

**As always, thank you so much for your love and support! Your comments, questions, and suggestions mean the world to me! I'll see you soon, happy reading!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


	27. Clear a Path

As part of the first wave Lily took off from her hiding place in the forest surrounding Malfoy Manor at the sight of her son's patronus. She sprinted to the entrance, flanked by dozens of her colleagues. Ahead of her she saw the Weasely Twins bring down the iron double doors with an assortment of explosives from their department. The doors came down and she could hear shocked yelling from inside as the Twins and any Auror in front of her rushed into the Manor. The battle had officially begun.

When Lily entered Malfoy Manor she was immediately met with a stunning spell to the shoulder. It threw her back a few steps but she recovered quickly and sent one flying back in the same direction. The shouting she'd heard outside was much louder now. All around her Death Eaters and Aurors clashed in flurries of brightly colored streams of light. Any Death Eater that wasn't being driven back from the entrance by an Auror was either trying to help another or fleeing to one of the many hallways attached to the lobby. 

Lily ran around and made it her job to disable as many of the Death Eaters who were ganging up to help their friends as possible. Since they were distracted by their attempts to overpower the Auror going up against them she found it easy to sneak up behind and fire any number of hexes and curses at them. Usually the spells were powerful enough to knock them out after two or three. And every time when the first Death Eater realized their backup had fallen they'd turn around and be ready to attack Lily, but the other Auror would still be there and use the same hexes Lily had on the distracted Death Eater. They'd fall to the ground within seconds and both Lilly and the Auror could move on to their next targets. It was almost too easy.

Lily knew she couldn't stay in the lobby for the whole battle; Harry had said that they needed hallways to be clear as well. So she picked a hallway at random and ran towards it, keeping her wand out in front of her and level with her chest, just as she'd been trained to do. 

Ahead of her in the hallway Lily could hear the laughter of the Twins followed by a few popping noises which she assumed meant smoke bombs or something of the like. It was then that she couldn't help but notice that she han't seen James at all since they'd said goodbye back at Headquarters. Or Remus, for that matter. Weren't they supposed to be with the rest of their department? Had they split up? Despite whatever assurances she could recite to herself Lily had trouble keeping her nerves in check. James was a skilled prankster and she'd seen him translate those skills into what he needed to use at the Manor, but he was also her lifeline. He was the one person for the past twenty-odd years that she'd been able to turn to for support. They were _soulmates_ , for Merlin's sake! And she'd be lying if she said that his combat experience wasn't limited to today and the First Wizarding War over 20 years ago. Her nerves, then, weren't just for his sake; but for hers as well; she didn't know what she'd do without him. 

Lily continued down the hallway she'd chosen. It was obvious to her that the a fair amount had been cleared out already, but it was too late to turn back and take another way. She walked carefully, keeping a watchful eye on her surroundings in case there was a Death Eater lurking around a corner, ready to ambush her at any moment. As she approached a corner she heard the sounds of a few different scuffles; and as she turned towards the noise she spotted a few duels. But instead of continuing towards them Lily turned the other way and ran down a section of untouched hallway. She figured there would be more Death Eaters to clear away in that direction.

And she was right; nearly as soon as she turned another corner Lily was met with a pack of four Death Eaters with no opponents. 

"A bit outnumbered, aren't we?" One of them sneered.

Lily had no time for a back and forth of one-liners. These people wanted her dead; she wasn't going to give them that satisfaction. She flung a stunning spell at the center of the pack, hoping it would bowl them all over and give her a head start. To her dismay it made them stumble back only just as much as she had earlier. The one who had spoken to her fired back with a jinx that she managed to counter with a shield charm. The other three began to fire at will. Lily used all the dexterity she could muster to counter or dodge the spells that were thrown at her. It was only thanks to a shield technique that she learned in training that she was able to knock out three of the Death Eaters before she had the chance to use any offensive spells. All she had to do was push the spells they'd flung at her back at the source. 

That left her versus the first Death Eater. 

"Looks like it's just us, sweetie," He cooed.

"Don't patronize me," Lily snapped. She _hated_ being called sweetie like that. The only people who said it were the men that doubted how good she was at her job; the same men that, at least before she'd come back to life without them, had ended up working _for_ her at the Ministry. Suckers.

For every hex the Death Eater flung at her, Lily flung two back. He was good at blocking, but that skill would only take him so far. One of her jinxes caught him in the head and he fell down, twitching and writhing for a few seconds before stopping cold and going limp. 

Lily stood triumphantly over the Death Eater and took a few deep breaths. In her distracted state she didn't notice one of the others recover until his spell caught her in the back. She let out a yelp as she fell over and her wand dropped just out of arms reach. She rolled onto her back, ready to use her hands and feet to take him down. He towered over her, grinning like a psychopath.

"Didn't see that coming," He sneered. "Did you?"

Lily grunted as she took a cautionary glance towards her wand. It was still too far away. When she looked back the Death Eater had his wand aimed at her face. Lily prayed silently that what she was about to do wouldn't result in Harry or James having to plan her funeral. 

"Any last wo-"

The Death Eater was interrupted midsentence by a spell hitting him in the head. Lily had just enough time to roll away and grab her wand to avoid getting crushed as he fell to the ground with a grunt. She stood up and pointed her wand in the direction of the spell's origin.

"You alright?" Dora Tonks asked her.

"Yeah, thanks." Lily was immensely grateful that Dora had come to her aid. If she hadn't Lily may have ended up dead. Again. 

"Wanna stick together?" Dora asked. "Strength in numbers, y'know?"

Dora was an incredibly skilled Auror. From their time together in training Lily could see that she had practically dedicated her life to the force. She'd be a fantastic ally to have today. 

Lily grinned. "Absolutely."

Dora smiled back and Lily beckoned her to follow her down the hallway she'd been going down. Over the next hour they passed many more duels and ran through hallways riddled with spell damage and debris. Once in a while they even had to avoid stepping in several brightly colored puddles of... paint? Lily wasn't sure. All she knew was that they were a product of the Ammunition and Weapons Division. It made her heart ache a little, thinking about how they'd been the very first to enter the Manor; how _James_ had been one of the first, diving blindly into danger. 

Lily's heart ached more as they got closer to the center of the Manor, knowing that she was clearing a path for Harry to run headfirst into the most dangerous parts of the building. It made her fight even harder, knowing that this was how she could keep her son safe. If there was one thing she was sure of at that moment, it was that she was _not_ going to be separated from her son _ever again_. And especially not like this. 

After some time had passed Lily rounded a corner and found herself and Dora face to face with some of the highest ranking Death Eaters that she knew of. Standing in front of them was Fenrir Greyback, whom Lily knew as the werewolf that had bitten Remus; and thanks to his condition he'd earned a reputation in the Manor for his superstrength. He was _not_ to be messed with. Standing next to him were Barty Crouch Jr., Rodolphus Lestrange, and Orion Black. Lily's blood boiled at the sight of Sirius' father; and one look at Dora told her that she wasn't alone. 

"Well hello there," Lestrange grinned. "Think you ladies can take us on?"

"To be fair," Dora snapped back, "Anything would be more successful than your marriage. How's _auntie Bella_ doing, by the way? Still hates you?"

Lily stifled a laugh, but Rodolphus didn't seem to share her sense of humor. Instead he turned his bruised ego into pure rage and charged at Dora. She fired several offensive spells at him but he blocked every single one. They began to duel as Lily ran towards Orion, whom she picked out to be an easy target. He put up a bit of a fight but ultimately his age became his downfall. A few offensive spells out of Lily's wand and he was down for the count. She spared two seconds to celebrate and turned around just in time to see Barty Crouch Jr. fling a hex in her direction. She blocked it and sent it back his way. He stumbled and gave her just enough time to send him flying into a wall with one final curse. 

When she turned to help Dora, Lily saw Rodolphus lying on the ground in a twitching fit while Dora and Greyback fought over his body. Dora was an incredible Auror, but that barely had any effect when her opponent was nearly twice her size and three times her muscle mass. One swipe of Greyback's hand caught Dora in the head and she crumpled to the ground. She was out cold.

Lily yelled and flung a hex at Greyback to keep him from finishing the job. He grunted and charged at her like a bull. She kept the hexes coming but dove out of harm's way just as he passed her. The wasted momentum sent him careening into a wall. He recovered quickly and let out something of a war cry as he made a second attempt. Lily jumped out of the way again, but this time he was prepared. She felt him pick her up by the waist and suddenly her feet were far off the ground. Lily cried out and tried to kick herself out of his bone-crushing grip, but it was no use; he was just too strong. Lily knew she had to get out before he could bite her. She decided on a hail mary and went nearly limp, moving only to take out her wand and aim it at the ground. She knew full well that the move she was about to pull could seriously hurt them both. She didn't care.

"Reducto Maxima!" She screamed.

A rush of heat. A flash of light. Everything went black.

\-----------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello! I'm addicted to cliffhangers guys they're so fun I'm sorry.**

**So how was that chapter? Good? I liked writing it. The next one should be out on Monday, as usual.**

**As far as announcements go, did I tell you guys that I took the AP World History test a while back? Well I did; and two days ago we got our scores. I GOT A 5!!! HOLY COW GUYS!!**

**Anyway, I do love hearing your responses to the questions, so here's one for this chapter: who is the most underrated character in the series and why?**

**Finally, thank you guys SO SO MUCH, as always, for your continued love and support! I adore reading your questions, comments, and suggestions. Keep it up! I'll see you soon, happy reading!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


	28. Cause and Effect

_"You're just in time to help us ressurect the Dark Lord!"_

Alarm bells rang in Harry's head as he noticed the dagger out and hanging at Bellatrix's side. He'd have to avoid that when she inevitably lunged at him. Nonetheless, he kept his composure. 

"Because you're oh-so certain that I'm going to help you," Harrry said sarcastically. 

The sneer on Bellatrix's face became even wider. "Well, you were such a big help _last time_ , why not do it again? Aren't you overdue for a little healthy competition? For old time's sake?"

_Last time_. Harry thought of himself trapped against that tombstone in the graveyard during the third task. He thought of his blood being collected in a small vial as Cedric Diggory lay dead on the ground near him. He wasn't going to let anything like that happen again. 

Harry scoffed. "Fat chance, Bellatrix." He glanced around the room. The cauldron he'd seen in the mini-vision was now bubbling with a thick blue liquid. "Besides," he continued, wanting to prod any of the three Death Eaters present into revealing something helpful, "We've destroyed your Potions Lab. Blown the whole thing up."

Harry could see Lucius and Dolohov shift uncomfortably in their spots. _Good_ , he thought, _I've struck a nerve._ But Bellatrix's sneer hadn't waivered. She remained upright and just as devilish as she had been seconds ago. 

"That won't matter for now," She said. "We have everything we need for this potion right here in this room; it's only two ingredients."

Harry aptly noticed that no one in the room was missing an arm. There were now two ways he could stop this potion from reaching its final brew; and he was bent on doing that without letting anyone leave this room. He didn't want to bring this fight outside where more people could get hurt. 

"You're never getting those ingredients, Bellatrix," Harry heard Hermione butt in. "You'll never bring him back. It's over."

Bellatrix sneered. "Hardly, darling." She lunged forward and began to sprint towards Harry; calling back to Lucius to guard the cauldron. 

The fight was on. Harry sent Ron to take Dolohov as Hermione sped towards Lucius and the cauldron. Harry himself stood his ground as Bellatrix got closer and closer. When they collided he used her momentum to throw them apart, barely avoiding her knife and letting her careen into a nearby wall while he only fell back onto his arse. He took the extra few seconds to stand back up and make a mental note to not get close enough to her again in case he got a cut. 

Bellatrix took a rather long moment to recover, during which time Harry noticed that she'd dropped her knife. He scrambled to pick it up and put it in an empty sheath on his belt that he secured with a spell. Hopefully that meant it would be much harder for Bellatrix, or anyone else, to get her hands on anything that could maim him or chop someone's arm off. Harry moved a bit closer to Bellatrix, who was pushing herself off of the floor at a snail's pace.

"Aw," Harry said with mock concern, "Are you alright, Bellatrix? If you want to surrender that's okay."

Bellatrix whipped her head up to face Harry. Her expression was that of pure rage. She let out a guttural scream and threw herself at Harry, managing to get back on her two feet in the process. 

Harry jumped backwards to avoid getting hit and flung a hex in her direction. She blocked it and sent a different one back; which Harry blocked with ease. They dueled, each with an equal level of fervor, but it was Harry who found himself being pushed backwards by Bellatrix's constant spellwork. Despite his own self-confidence, he had to admit that she was a skilled duelist. That combined with her passion for the Death Eaters made her the perfect candidate for Voldemort's right hand man- or woman. Harry just hoped they wouldn't reach that point. So he channeled that hope into stamina and coupled it with the revenge he knew others wouldn't get to take against Bellatrix. He fought like hell for Sirius, for Alice and Frank, and for the countless others he knew that had their lives ruined by the woman trying to kill him now. He was going to win this for them or die trying- and he wasn't going to die. 

Harry felt as if they were hours into the battle when he heard a yelp and a crash from one side of the room. He turned quickly to see that Ron had been thrown into a pile of crates by Dolohov and had been rendered unconscious. Harry had barely any time to react before he heard Hermione yell his name and "look out!" 

When Harry turned back to Bellatrix she fired a hex that sent him flying. He landed on his back a few meters away. But instead of then going to finish the job Bellatrix turned and fired a spell at the cauldron. It bubbled angrily and suddenly the amount of Death Eaters in the room rose to nearly 50. The new arrivals stood around the edge of the room at attention. Harry and Hermione were frozen in place. 

"You-" Harry stuttered, "You did this. You're the reason they're back."

Bellatrix laughed. "I'd say it was a joint effort-" She glanced at Lucius. "-Someone had to bring me back, of course."

If she'd just implied that Lucius was at all the brains behind any of this Harry would eat his left shoe. There was no way; Lucius was a pawn!

"See we meant to only bring back those who were true to our cause," Bellatrix continued, "But there were a few bumps. You're welcome, by the way."

Harry would rather eat _both_ of his shoes than thank Bellatrix for anything. He stood up and held out his wand. "Let's finish this."

If Bellatrix felt at all threatened, she didn't show it. Instead she grinned and leveled a finger towards Harry. "Get him!" She yelled. "And make sure you get his blood!"

Suddenly every Death Eater in the room was charging towards Harry. Hermione let out a yell and charged after them, managing to surprise a few from behind and knocing them out quickly. Harry, however, had to deal with them head on. It was obvious that their levels of experience varied; some were easily taken out with one or two blows, and others required a full duel to knock down. Either way, Harry knew he couldn't let any of them make him bleed. He worked on keeping a distance on all sides but it made each fight take longer. If Hermione wasn't there, helping from the outside, he would've lost. 

When he and Hermione had managed to drop the number of Death Eaters down to about fifteen, Harry heard another scream. This time it was Bellatrix. He used a wide-range spell to throw down the few Death Eaters that still surrounded him and saw her standing over the cauldron with a small sword in one hand. In the other was, well, nothing- because there no longer _was_ a second hand; or anything below Bellatrix's left elbow. Harry watched in horror as she laughed at the potion that now contained a piece of her own body.

"Soon, my Lord," She cooed. "You're almost here."

At that same moment Harry felt another searing pain coming from his scar. He could do nothing but let it consume him, hoping it would go away before any of the Death Eaters could get back to him. But when he opened his eyes he saw himself from a pair of invisible eyes hovering over the cauldron. He saw Hermione rush to him in an attempt to give him cover until he could stand back up. He heard Bellatrix cackle as he saw himself writhing in pain. And then he saw one of the new arrivals stand up behind him and Hermione, raising a dagger that he hadn't noticed before as they had fought. 

_Hermione!_ Harry wanted to scream. _LOOK OUT! BEHIND YOU!_

But it was too late. In one swift motion the Death Eater sent Hermione flying backwards with a blow from the flat side of the dagger to her head. She barely had time to get up before Harry saw him slash at his hand... and draw blood. The pain from his scar was so intense now that he didn't even flinch when it happened.

"No!" He heard Hermione scream. 

Bellatrix laughed as the Death Eater rushed over to them with the bloody dagger. She took the knife from him and dropped it into the cauldron. The pain in Harry's head reached an excruciating climax- and then stopped as he was propelled back into his own body. He sat up quickly and attempted to destroy the cauldron with one final hex; but the damage was done. 

_No. No!_

Harry watched, open-mouthed, as the cauldron bubbled with the intensity of a hurricane. It began to glow as a pale, bony hand reached out of it. Bellatrix grabbed it gleefully and began to pull, revealing more and more of Voldemort as he emerged from the cauldron; looking just as he had upon doing the same thing back in 1995. Harry stood up right as the Dark Lord had taken his first step outside of the potion, unwilling to let his enemy see him on his knees. 

"My Lord!" Bellatrix exclaimed. "I did it! I brought you back!"

Voldemort paid no attention to his leutennant and instead turned his focus to Harry. "Hello again, Harry Potter."

"We destroyed your horocruxes," Harry said. "How the hell could they have brought you back?"

"There's a solution to everything," Voldemort answered coolly.

"You don't know," Harry guessed.

"I choose not to ask, Harry. Never look a gift horse in its mouth, yes?"

Harry clenched his jaw. "Too bad you won't get to thank them, then. I won't let you even make it out of this room."

"I'd like to see you try, Potter," He replied. "Because I'd like to see the inevitable look of defeat on your face even more."

Harry was determined to make sure that his parents would never have to see his dead body. He was equally determined to make sure that no one else would die because of his mistake. The two were _not_ mutually exclusive. "You-"

"Harry," Hermione nudged his side. 

"What?" He hissed. 

"Can you see those?" She whispered. "The vapor trails?"

Harry looked back at the Death Eaters. Sure enough every single on of them was connected to the cauldron by a lace-thin veil of white vapor. The further away they were from the cauldron, the thinner the trail.

"It's a life force," Harry gasped.

"That cauldron is the one they've been using this whole time," Hermione said. "And their lives are still connected to it. If we destroy it-"

"-They'll die again," Harry concluded. 

"They may not even be truly _alive_ to begin with," Hermione suggested.

Harry smiled. To think that the solution was so _simple_ made him stifle a laugh. "Let's do this."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Bellatrix said as Harry aimed his wand at the cauldron. 

"Why not?" He snapped. "Scared that we've finally found your Achilles Heel? You're done, Bellatrix. All of you are."

"You'd kill your own parents to kill us?" She asked.

Harry froze.

"What?" He asked.

"Oh no," Hermione gasped.

"Sure, everyone brought back by the potion is tied to it by a lifeline. And yes, if you destroy it you'll kill us all. But don't tell me you've forgotten who else this potion brought back?"

Harry felt sick. The only way to finish off the Death Eaters without the threat of them coming back was to destroy this potion; but that also meant he'd never see his loved ones again... and it would be his fault. 

"Tell me, Harry," Voldemort sneered. "Is killing me really worth losing everyone you love?"

\--------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello! How much do you guys hate me for these cliffhangers? A lot? Yeah, I figured. I hope you guys liked the chapter though!**

**About the next few: They'll be action packed and out on time, but probably a bit shorter. They're also... the last three or four! Oh no! I hope you stick around long enough to see how this ends.**

**Here's today's question: If you could teach any class at Hogwarts (must be a canon class, sorry) what would it be and why? I might teach charms because it's my personal favorite subject. DADA is cool, but I don't think I'd be very good at it.**

**As always, thank you SO much for your love and support on this story! Your comments, questions, and suggestions mean the world to me! Keep it up! I'll see you soon, happy reading!!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


	29. When You Poison a Friendship

_"No," James said. "He gets what he deserves. Now."_

James couldn't even begin to describe how he felt seeing Peter after all this time. The pure rage that boiled inside of his chest began to manifest as a physical pain. Seeing the man he once called one of his closest friends, his _secret-keeper_ , standing willingly with the enemy was almost too much to comprehend.

Almost.

There were many things about the situation that James couldn't afford to _not_ comprehend. Peter was the reason that Voldemort had found his family. He was the reason that James and Lily had _died_. He was the reason that Sirius had to spend nearly a third of his life behind bars or in hiding. The reason that Harry grew up without any of them. And for that, Peter was going to _pay_. 

"James," Remus cautioned. "He's not enough of a threat to be worth anyone's time. Let's _go_. We have bigger problems."

"And I'm just supposed to ignore what he's done?" James' voice shook. He didn't notice that he'd started to cry until he felt a tear fall onto the hand he was holding up directly below his chin. "I'm just supposed to leave him be after what he did to us?"

"I'm not letting you become a killer for _him_."

" _Screw you_ ," James spat. "He doesn't deserve to die; that's the easy way out and we both know it."

"James-"

"No," James cut him off. "He deserves _way worse_. I'm gonna make him _wish_ he was dead." James began to move towards Peter, who was now likely fused to the ground in shock, with his wand raised in front of him. He turned back to face Remus. "I'm doing this. You can either help me or go do something else. The choice is yours."

Remus' face was unreadable. He was good at that. He held his wand up and his expression grew dark. "That rat is as good as dead."

James didn't hesitate to immediately fling a hex at Peter. The man jumped aside just in time and took off down the hallway. James swore under his breath and began to sprint in hot pursuit. Within seconds Remus was by his side. 

Peter was noticeably slower than James and Remus. At one point, as if to buy himself time, he stopped to throw several jinxes in their direction. If he was hoping they'd slow down, he'd be disappointed. James pushed himself through everything Peter threw at them. This was his only purpose now. 

James and Remus sprinted after him through nearly the entire Manor. They ran through hallways that James was positive he'd been in before. The place was a maze; and if Peter had no clear destination in mind they could be running in circles forever. James hoped that he'd run himself into a dead end and finish the chase for them; but it seemed that either there were no dead ends anywhere in the building or that Peter knew where all of them were and was avoiding them on purpose. 

The second option made James sick to his stomach. The fact that Peter would even _know_ the ins and outs of Malfoy Manor well enough to navigate its hallways was nauseating. It reminded James of how Regulus had told them how popular Peter was here. How much Bellatrix, of all people, trusted him. And, worst of all, how he'd stood outside of the room where Sirius had been and looked inside with a sickening grin on his face. James was going to hurl after this chase was over. 

Eventually Peter led hem around a corner and into a hallway filled with several duels. He stopped abruptly and turned to face James and Remus. 

James had no intention of stopping, but the smile that was creeping onto Peter's face made his feet plant themselves on the ground. "What are you-"

Within the next three seconds Peter was gone and replaced by his animagus. Without so much as a squeak in James' direction he took off, successfully winding between the feet of everyone else in the hallway.

"DAMMIT!" James shouted.

"Whatever, James," Remus looked annoyed, but James had seen him angrier. "He wasn't worth it. C'mon, let's go somewhere else." 

But James was not going to let this be the end. He wasn't going to let Peter get away on this kind of advantage. An idea sparked in his mind. He looked up and, when he saw what he wanted to see, he smiled. 

"Those are some high ceilings," James said.

"What?" Remus asked. 

James turned around to face his friend. "Cover me," He said as he began to fish around in his bag.

"What are you doing?"

James ignored him but let out a satisfied "aha!" when his fingers found themselves curled around the piece of wood he'd been looking for. He stood up and pulled his broom out of the bag. 

"Are you nuts?" Remus asked as James shouldered his knapsack.

"I told you- high ceilings. We're catching this asshole." James mounted the broom. "Get on."

James heard Remus sigh and felt his arms curl around his waist as he got onto the back of the broom. 

"I'll fly," James said. "You tell me where to go and fire when necessary."

"Just don't get us killed."

James grinned as he took off. The high ceilings allowed them to soar well over the duels going on in the hallway; and the speed of the broom would allow them to catch up to Peter, who was now likely faster as a rat.

A few minutes later Remus cried out and pointed down a hallway that they were about to pass. "Down there!"

Sure enough James spotted Peter making his way down the hall that Remus had pointed to; but he wasn't a rat anymore. It seemed that he though he was safe, because he was now jogging through the hallway as a human. James chuckled. This would be easy.

Remus fired a hex at Peter, who yelped when it caught him in the back. He transformed back into a rat and scurried away, but this time James was prepared. He lowered the broom to get closer and flew at full speed after Peter. Being a rat made him much faster, but now James and Remus had the ability to catch up. They began the second half of their chase with new advantages on both sides.

But as James flew after Peter with diections and spells from Remus, his brain went on autopilot. He heard and followed Remus' calls, but the other half of his mind, the one that was in charge of his more involved thoughts, was racing faster than his broom. It was hard to not think now about what Peter had done, especially when those thoughts were the motivator for what he was doing now. 

He didn't just think of what Peter had done at surface-level, those were thoughts he'd been having for years. It was the indirect effects that James thought of now; the ones that hurt him the most. Like how he'd spent days, _months_ even, unable to get out of bed after he died. And how Remus had effectively been left completely alone for years until Sirius had broken out of prison. And how, though no one else would likely ever find out, James and Lily didn't have any other children because of the crippling anxiety and nightmares that plagued them both anytime the topic was mentioned. James still remembered the night that Lily had woken up from a nightmare in such distress that she didn't stop hyperventilating until all six pregnancy tests had come back negative. That was only three years ago. 

Remus' yelling pulled James out of his trance. He became hyper-aware of his surroundings once again. 

"Down there!" Remus shouted.

James noticed that Peter had made a sharp right turn down another hallway. He pulled the broom up and turned it towards Peter. As they flew Remus continued to fling hexes towards Peter; but it was one well-aimed shot that caught the rat by surprise. Peter flew a few feet in the air and landed, in human form, in front of a set of double doors. 

Victorious, James put the broom into a nosedive and dismounted as it hit the ground. Remus half got off- half fell off- of the broom behind him. They stood above Peter as he sat against the doors, breathing heavily. 

"It's over, Peter," James said. His voice began to shake again as he aimed his wand at his ex-best friend. 

Peter lifted his hands above his head and cowered. "Please!" He begged. "Don't do this! I didn't mean to!"

_Didn't mean to?_ Peter's cry made James laugh. "Bullshit, Peter. You can't do what you did unless you mean it."

"I should've done you in that night in the Shrieking Shack," Remus growled.

"You wouldn't!" Peter cried. "You're my friends!"

"We _were_ your friends, jackass," James spat. " _You_ screwed that up. It's time you paid for what you've done."

"James..." Remus said. His voice had suddenly taken on a warning tone. "His hands..."

When James looked he saw Peter jump, as if Remus had exposed another secret. Before James could react Peter's hands found one of the doorknobs and turned it. The door behind him opened and he fell backwards into the room. He began to scurry away. 

"HEY!" James yelled after him. He chased Peter inside and lunged for him, but at the last second Peter became a rat and ran off. James' arms closed around thin air and he fell to the ground, smacking his chin on the hard floor. He swore as he began to pick himself up.

"This isn't over, you dirty little..." James' voice trailed off at the sight before him. Peter had reappeared as a human behind Bellatrix, who was standing confidently next to... the Dark Lord.

Memories flashed before James' eyes as he stared at the man who'd murdered him decades ago. They cut at his psyche like salt in fresh wounds. 

Most painful was the sight of Harry and his friend standing before the Death Eaters, both shaking as if they'd been given the worst news of their lives.

Suddenly the Dark Lord's attention had turned to James. 

"Ah, hello James," He said. His voice was as cold as ice. "Long time, no see." 

James felt his nerves freeze in place. He couldn't move from his knees.

"No need to respond," The Dark Lord continued. "We were just discussing the fact that in killing me, our dear Harry will have to kill you as well."

James could barely force any noise out of his mouth. "Wha-"

Harry turned to him. His face shattered James' heart in two; tears were beginning to make their way down his cheeks, and his face mirrored James' almost perfectly: pure horror. 

"That potion," Harry said, choking on his words. "Everyone who returned is connected to it. If I want to kill him... I have to destroy the potion... and kill everyone who came back because of it." 

Despite the gravity of the situation, this was the quickest he'd ever made a decision.

"Do it, then."

\------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello! _Another_ cliffhanger, I know, kill me. The next chapter will be out on schedule! I promise! I just hope you liked this one...**

**No announcements; so here's my question of the chapter: If you had to pick a magical creature to be your companion for the rest of your life, which one would it be and why? I personally like Hippogriffs (I may have spelled that wrong) because once they trust you they're loyal and lovable. Also they can fly _and_ gallop like a horse. Very multipurpose.**

**As always, thank you guys so much for your love and support!! I look forward to reading all of your comments, questions, and suggestions every chapter! I'll see you soon, happy reading!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


	30. Then Darkness

_"Do it, then."_

Harry stared at his father as if he'd grown a second head. Was he asking what Harry thought he was asking? Did he just say that he wanted to _die_? 

"What?" Harry's voice was quiet. 

"You said it yourself," His father began to stand up. His chin was bleeding. "It's the only way to do him in for good. Destroy the potion."

Harry wondered if his father had actually heard and digested what he'd said would happen if the potion was destroyed. "But you would die, too," He repeated. "And so would mum. And Sirius. And Remus. And-"

"I know," His father interrupted. "And it'll be awful. But if you don't do what _I know_ you know is the right decision... think of how many more people would die instead."

"But..." Harry couldn't hold back the tears now. How was he supposed to lose the ones he loved- because of _his own actions_ \- only a few weeks after getting them back? How was he supposed to take fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers and husbands and wives and friends away from their recently returned loved ones? "I can't..."

"Yes you can, Harry-" 

Harry heard his father's voice break as he said his name. It made his heart shatter.

"Death isn't the end for us," He continued. "We know that now. We know what you'd be sending us back to. We'll be okay..." His father turned his head to look at Voldemort. "He won't be. You do this and the world- all of the worlds- will be rid of him with no hope of ever getting him back. So _do it_." 

Harry felt his voice shake more than it ever had before. "I'd be killing you. All of you."

His father spoke; but instead of any comfort that Harry hoped he'd be faking, he told the full truth. "Yeah," He said, "You would be. But wouldn't you rather it be us, right now, quickly, than the thousands upon thousands of people who would die slow and painful deaths at the hands of these maniacs if you don't do anything?"

Harry felt his world begin to fall apart. _Why me?_ He thought. _Why is it always me?? And why does every good thing in my life need to have such a large price tag??_ "I can't..."

"Yes you can. It'll be impossibly hard but you _can._ And you _must_."

Harry felt Hermione's hand on his shoulder. "We have to," She whispered.

Harry didn't move. He didn't speak. He wanted to say goodbye. He wanted to spend hours with each and every person he loved and tell them how much they meant to him. He wanted to hug his parents, and Sirius, and Remus, just one last time. He squeezed his eyes shut to get the last of the tears out of his vision. When he looked back at his father, he recognized an expression that he himself had worn far too many times to count. He was being strong for Harry; though it looked like, on the inside, he was crying just as much as Harry was on the outside. Harry drew a ragged breath. "I love you," He said.

"I love you too," His father replied. 

Harry's arm seemed to move itself in a blur of fabric, skin, and wand. He flung a destructive hex towards the cauldron, but Dolohov, who had moved himself in front of it as Harry had been deciding what to to, deflected it to hit a pile of rubble near where Ron was still lying on the ground. He cursed under his breath. The amount of time he'd just spent debating was going to bite him in the arse later.

Harry quickly became busy in a duel with Dolohov; but he was acutely aware of Bellatrix being given a silver arm by Voldemort. _Great,_ Harry thought, _of all the Death Eaters to get a power-up, it had to be her._ Harry used a more forceful spell against Dolohov that sent him flying a few feet backwards; enough to make him not Harry's problem anymore. Instead he turned his attention to Voldemort and Bellatrix, who had already begun to advance on him. 

"You won't win this, Harry," Voldemort sneered. "It's over, now that I'm here."

"I'll win or I'll die trying," Harry snapped back.

"I'll make sure to attend your funeral, then," Voldemort said. 

Harry was too far in the zone to be hurt by Voldy's clever comeback. With the two most powerful Death Eaters on his arse and all of his nearby allies occupied by their own duels, he was forced to spend the majority of his power on defense. He deflected, blocked, and sent back every spell they threw at him; and every once in a while he managed a spell of his own towards the cauldron. When they hit he noticed that his opponents would flinch or twitch; but the cauldron was far too strong to take any noticeable damage. If Harry _really_ wanted to win he'd have to knock these two down first. But how was he supposed to do that if destroying the cauldron was the only way to destroy Voldemort?

At one point a stray spell hit Voldemort from the side. Harry took a risk to look at the source. When he did he saw Ron back on his feet and aiming his wand at Harry's opponents. Harry grinned, relieved to see that his friend was okay.

Bellatrix, on the other hand, was less than pleased. Instead of looking for the source she turned around and fired the same spell from earlier at the cauldron. Instantly, the number of Death Eaters in the room quadrupled. 

Harry recognized a few of them from before as they began to clash with his friends and family; but he quickly turned his attention back to Bellatrix and Voldemort, who were still assaulting him with multiple harmful spells at once. Harry continued to block, deflect, and fire as he had before. As he fought he tried to think of what could possibly do enough damage to the cauldron without letting his mind wander too far. He'd already flung some of the most powerful spells he knew at the potion with little to no luck; what was he left with?

Harry's thoughts were interrupted when, by force of habit, he went to block a spell that didn't come. He stumbled a few steps and looked up at the two Death Eaters before him. Instead of their usual tirade of spells, Voldemort had his hand clamped on his lieutennant's shoulder. Bellatrix looked like she was losing blood- her face was growing paler by the second and her body was slowly going limp. Within the minute she collapsed on the floor, white as a sheet and unmoving. Harry wondered if she was dead.

When he looked back up Harry saw what Voldemort had done. A semi-visible electric field crackled around him that made the hairs on Harry's body stand up. "What did you to to her?" He gasped.

Voldemort sneered. "I did what I had to. All I needed from her was an arm and her energy; another fighter is just clutter, you see."

Harry was too focused on Bellatrix's limp form to see what Voldemort did next until it was too late. The next thing Harry knew he was flying several feet in the air after what felt like getting rammed by a massive truck. He smacked into the wall above the doors and crashed onto the floor below. If his adrenaline wasnt rushing as fast as it was he would've been screaming in pain. At the very least one of his ribs was broken. He didn't care. 

"HARRY!" He heard his father scream. Within seconds the man was at his side and assessing the damage. 

All Harry could do was stare at Voldemort, who was now cackling maniacally and moving towards them. Harry tried to brush his father off and get him out of the way, but he wouldn't listen. _If he doesn't leave me now_ , Harry thought, _Voldemort will kill him_. 

Thankfully Harry didn't need to worry much longer; because Ron and Hermione, having finished off their opponents, were now distracting Voldemort with spells of their own. Harry would have to thank them by getting back on his feet before they could get killed. 

"Dad," He began to push his father away. "Dad, stop, I'm fine."

"I've seen players get thrown with less intensity and never touch a broom again. You're not fine."

Harry laughed a little at the Quidditch analogy. "I have a higher pain tolerance."

"That doesn't mean you haven't broken a bone!"

"I'll be fine," Harry began to get up. "I need to help-"

"I know how we can destroy the cauldron," Remus interrupted as he knelt down beside them. He reached into his bag and pulled out an item wrapped in wax paper. 

Whatever it was, Harry coudn't tell; but it seemed that his father knew immediately, and he was less than pleased. "That thing could blow up an entire city block," He said.

That made Harry all the more intrigued.

Remus unwrapped the item carefully. What was once the size of a Quaffle became the size of a snitch. The bomb was almost comically small. "Don't be fooled by its size," Remus cautioned. "We only made one of these because of its sheer destructive power. I'd forgotten about it until a minute ago." 

"If this doesn't destroy the cauldron," Harry said. "It could obliterate this entire castle. I see us winning either way."

"We'll all distract Voldemort," Remus said. "James, give Harry your broom; this needs to be quick."

Harry's father nodded as he reached into his bag. He pulled out his broom and handed it to Harry before putting a hand on his shoulder. "Be careful," He said. "We love you; always remember that."

Harry nodded. His chest hurt, knowing what he was about to lose, but he knew it was a necessary sacrifice. "I love you guys."

Remus held out the bomb. "Are you ready?"

Harry smiled and took it. He studied the ball in his hand like he had the snitch when he'd walked into the forbidden forest three years before. "I open at the close," Harry scoffed quietly.

"What?" His father asked.

Harry closed his hand around the bomb. "Nothing," He said. "Inside joke." He mounted the broom and looked at the fight near the cauldron. Ron, Hermione, and Voldemort were the only ones left standing. Harry took a deep breath. "I'm ready as I'll ever be."

"Godspeed, Harry," Remus said. He got up and began to fling smoke bombs in Voldemort's direction. 

His father stayed behind for a few seconds. He opened his mouth a few times, but nothing came out. Finally, he said, "I'm proud of you, Harry. So unbelievably proud. Never forget that."

"I won't." 

His father smiled and ran off to help the others. 

Harry readied himself on the broom. The bomb felt warm in his hand. He knew he only hand one chance to make this work. He saw Voldemort get pelted with silly pranks and spells. Harry hoped he'd get to tell everyone how much they'd helped. 

He took one last deep breath and pushed off. The broom rocketed forward at a speed he thought brooms would never reach. "Look out!" He yelled to Hermione, who was in his path. She dove to the side and allowed him to pass. When he reached the cauldron he hovered there, his hand over the boiling potion. He took one last look at his friends. 

Voldemort must have realized what he was doing. "NO!" He shouted.

"Do it, Harry!" Remus yelled.

Harry's hand opened and the bomb fell into the cauldron. He braced himself for the explosion...

Nothing happened.

Voldemort began to cackle. "Yes! YES! You can't-"

A blinding flash of light.

A scorching wave of heat.

A mighty roar.

Then darkness.

\--------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello there!! Yes, okay, kill me, that cliffhanger was AWFUL. I hope you liked the chapter though! The next one will be out on Friday. We'll see what's happened then...**

**Let's make that our question of the week! What are your predictions?? Comment!!**

**As always, thank you SO SO MUCH for your love and support! Your feedback means the world to me!! I'll see you guys soon, happy reading!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


	31. Into Thin Air

_"Reducto Maxima!" Lily screamed._

_A rush of heat. A flash of light. Everything went black_

Lily's vision was the first of her senses to return. From where she lay down the hallway was sideways... and empty.

Touch came next. One by one each of Lily's limbs regained feeling until she could sense every part of herself against the cold stone floor. Everything ached as she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees. She wiped away the blood that was trickling down from her nose. Her movements were sluggish; her brain wasn't running at 100% and her ears were still ringing from the blast.

_The blast. Greyback. Dora._

Lily's heart raced as she jerked her head around to assess her surroundings. She looked behind her to where Greyback had been what felt like only moments ago; but he was nowhere to be found. In fact, the only other person in the hallway was Dora, lying just as Lily had left her only a meter or so away.

Lily stumbled as she moved over to Dora's side. She shook the young woman by her shoulders in an attempt to wake her up. "Dora!" Lily yelled. With the ringing still in her ears even her own voice sounded like it was coming from underwater. 

To Lily's relief Dora began to stir. Her eyes flew open and Lily let out a small, grateful laugh.

"What happened?" Dora asked groggily.

Lily recounted her own last few minutes of consciousness as Dora propped herself up against the wall behind her. When she was done, one question hung in the air.

"Where is everyone?" Dora wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Lily replied. "There's no one in this hall but, truth be told, I haven't gone anywhere else yet. Also my hearing isn't quite back yet- I could be missing a few things."

"I noticed."

"What?"

"Your hearing. There's a ringing in your ears and to compensate you've subconsciously been talking way louder than you need to be for the past minute or so. Don't feel bad, though; it'll fix itself once your hearing gets better."

"Oh," Lily said, attempting to correct her volume against her damaged eardrums, "Sorry 'bout that."

"Don't be; I've had it happen plenty of times."

Lily smiled. "We should try to find people. I'll help you walk if you need."

Dora shook her head and began to stand up, but fumbled over herself and nearly faceplanted. Lily caught her as she went down. 

"That's not a testament to my health," Dora protested as Lily put her arm across her back for support. "I'm just clumsy."

"Better safe than sorry," Lily said. 

"You sound like my mother."

"She's a smart woman. Which way should we go?" 

"That way," Dora pointed to a section of hallway off to their right. "I'm pretty sure that's where we were headed in the first place."

"Let's stay vigilant," Lily cautioned. She began to walk them in the direction that Dora had indicated.

The more they walked, the more nervous Lily became. They spotted very few Death Eaters; and the ones that they did see were being rounded up by the Aurors, who seemed to outnumber their opponents at leats 10 to 1. Moreover, everyone looked just as confused as Lily felt. As her hearing gradually returned she began to hear snippets of conversations.

"...think they did it?"

"...saw them go... Lab... heard an explosion..."

"...you felt that?"

"...disappeared!"

"...we could all be dead..."

Lily tried her best to figure out what they meant, but none of it made any sense. Were they dead? Were they alive? Had she missed something after her fight with Greyback? She was tempted to stop and ask someone what had happened, but instinct told her to keep going. She needed to find her husband and son. She'd be okay once she knew they were. 

A few minutes later Lily heard Dora gasp. When she looked up she saw a thick fog pouring out of a double-doored entrance ahead of them. 

"That could be where they were hiding the potion," Dora said. "Something's happened in there. That's what we missed." 

"Harry," Lily gasped. There was no doubt her boy was in that room. Destroying the potion was his only job on this mission. If something had gone wrong...

"Yeah, probably," Dora said. She wriggled herself out from Lily's support and made her way to the open doors. Lily followed close behind. 

As they stepped inside the room Lily found herself suffocated by the fog. She whispered a few clearing charms and it began to disperse on her command, revealing what had truly happened.

"Remus!" Dora shouted. Lily turned to see her scramble over to where he was slumped against the wall. She began to assess his injuries and try to shake him awake.

Lily spotted James on the other side of the doors, lying on his side. But instead of running to him like Dora had to Remus, something inside told her to stay put. Where was Harry? She turned again and saw him lying on his back just a few meters away. She thanked whichever instinct had warned her and ran to her son. 

When she dropped to her knees at his side Lily was relieved to notice that Harry looked to be relatively unhurt. She studied his face; if they hadn't been at Malfoy Manor she would've thought he was sleeping peacefully. On the floor next to him was James' broom, snapped cleanly in half. Whatever had thrown her son off of it must have been incredibly powerful. 

Lily glanced around for the source of the explosion. At the front of the room she saw the blackened and melted husk of what probably used to be a large cauldron. Fresh fog continued to seep from it and began to cover the room once more. Lily waved it away with a disspelling charm. She couldn't take her eyes off of the cauldron. Had Harry done his job? Had they won?

Lily jumped as she felt something touch her arm. She turned to see Harry awake and attempting to get his back off of the ground. His eyes were on her and, though she couldn't tell why, he looked almost... apologetic.

"Didn't mean to scare you," He said. "You just didn't answer when I called a second ago."

Lily let out a sigh of relief and helped her son sit up. "You're fine," She said quietly, "I set off a small explosion to get Greyback off of my ass. My hearing hasn't fully recovered yet." Her tone shifted to concern. "Are you alright?"

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but his expression shifted to that of worry. He began to look around the room erratically. "Where'd they go?" He asked. 

"Where'd who go?" Lily asked him.

"The Death Eaters! Voldemort!"

Lily couldn't believe her ears. "Did you say-"

"Yes!" Harry was frantic now. "Where are they?!" 

"I don't know," Lily said. "They weren't here when I-"

Both of them were interrupted by Harry's phone, which had abruptly started ringing. 

Harry furrowed his brow. "No one is supposed to be calling me now..."

"It could be an emergency," Lily suggested.

Harry looked at the phone and picked up. "Hello?"

Silence.

"What?" He asked.

More silence.

"O- okay... thank you for calling... no we'll get it sorted out. Bye."

Harry closed the phone and shoved it back into his pocket. His expression was riddled with confusion. 

"What was that?" Lily asked.

"Snape just disappeared," Harry said; though he didn't look like he quite believed what he was saying.

" _What?"_ Lily gasped. "How?"

"I dunno; Neville said that he, Sirius, Reg, Snape, and a bunch of others were sitting together when, BAM, Snape vanished out of thin air."

Lily thought for a moment, then it clicked. "He's a Death Eater."

"I mean-"

"No, Harry, he is. Or at the very least he had an allegiance to them; because that's who the potion was meant to bring back."

"Oh my god..."

Lily began to grin broadly. "When you destroyed the potion you reversed only its _intended_ effects; not the _side_ effects. Not _us_."

"Lily! Harry!" Lily heard James call as he dropped to their side. "What's going on? Are you two alright?"

"Dad," Harry was beaming. 

James' expression changed when he saw Harry. If anything he looked more worried; as if he'd realized something may be wrong. "Oh no," he whispered. "It didn't work, did it?"

"It did," Harry said. His smile was growing wider by the second. 

"Then how am I-"

"Mum figured it out," Harry replied. "The potion wasn't meant to bring any of you back in the first place; so when we destroyed it... it only took out those it was supposed to affect."

James looked around the room in disbelief. "So... they're gone... and we get to stay?"

Harry nodded as tears began to run down his cheeks. 

James laughed louder than Lily had ever heard him laugh before as he tackled their son in a tight hug. "You did it!" She heard him yell. 

Harry's laugh was muffled as he wrapped his arms around his father. " _We_ did it!" He shouted.

Lily let her boys have a few seconds to themselves before practically throwing herself on top of them. James and Harry each opened an arm for her and pulled her in for an actual hug. She rested her head next to her son's against her husband's chest as she felt him rest his own head on top of theirs. The next thing Lily knew she was sobbing with joy; relieved that after everything they'd been through, together and apart, her family would have a happy ending after all. 

When they pulled apart Lily saw Remus and Dora make their way over. 

"What's going on?" Remus asked. 

James nearly threw Lily and Harry off of him as he jumped up to greet his friend. Lily watched for a moment as he began to explain their theory; but her attention was caught by Harry, who had sprinted over to Hermione as she stood up. Harry crashed into her with nearly the same amount of force and enthusiasm as his father had shown minutes ago and spun her around in a tight hug. Lily saw the two pull apart so Harry could explain, and then hug joyously again as Hermione seemed to realize that they had won. Seconds later they were joined by Ron, who then reacted to the news the same way that Hermione had. The trio enveloped eachother in a hug much like the one Lily and her family had done just before; like family.

"But how do we know it's not just us?" Remus' question snapped Lily's focus back into place. "Has anyone been outside yet?"

"Well," Lily cut in, "It was a phone call that Harry received that... gave us the theory to begin with."

"A phone call?" James asked. "Did I miss that?"

"You did," Lily continued. She relayed the information that Harry had blurted out after the call had ended, including the fact that Regulus, miraculously, had survived whatever purge had just occurred. By the time she was finished everyone around her wore astonished smiles on their faces. 

"So then... where did they go?" Asked Dora. 

"It's anyone's guess really," Lily mused. "The afterlife, some void; who knows?"

"The point is," James added, putting his arm around her shoulders, "They _aren't_ here and _we_ are. I'd call that a win."

Lily looked up at him and smiled, grateful that the mission had turned out so incredibly, so _outstandingly_ well for them. 

"So that's that," Harry called out as he and his friends made their way over. "Aside from the others making some arrests our work here is done."

"And hopefully for the last time, too," Ron said.

"Don't jinx it!" Hermione elbowed him in the side. 

"My bad," Ron mumbled. "You're right."

"How about we go home, then," Harry asked. Lily noticed that he hadn't stopped smiling for even a second. 

"Back to the bunker it is," Remus agreed.

Harry let out a short laugh. "Nah," He said. "Let's go _home_ home."

A few laughs could be heard from the group as they gathered together and held hands; and then they, too, vanished from Malfoy Manor without a trace. 

\-------------------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello! That can't possibly be a cliffhanger, right? Right?? You have all the info!!**

**No worries though, I have _one_ more chapter for you guys to read! It'll be out on Monday, as usual. In the meantime, I hope you liked this one. Were your predictions correct??**

**I don't have a question for today, so as always thank you SO SO much for your continued love and support!! I don't think I would have gotten this far into the story without you guys. Your comments, questions, and suggestions make my whole week! I'll see you soon, happy reading!**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


	32. Epilogue

James Potter, every year, dreaded the beginning of the Quidditch season. Not because he didn't like going to play; in fact, quite the opposite was true. He _loved_ playing Quidditch and everything it entailed. What he dreaded, truly, was leaving home. Fortunately enough, he had a year now before any of that happened again.

"Y'know the war's over," Sirius said to him as he sat sideways on one of the large armchairs in the living room of Grimmuald Place. "So you don't need to stay here and protect us or whatever your logic was back in the 70s."

James let out a short laugh. "None of the teams had openings anyway; I would've been too close to the beginning of the season. No time to calibrate myself."

"Uh huh," Sirius scoffed. "That's why." 

"Well I, for one, am not complaining," Lily jumped in. James felt her voice against his chest as she stayed put with her head against it. The rest of her was curled up next to him and under his arm; a position from which she hadn't budged since she and Dora had gotten home from the Ministry nearly two hours earlier. Dora had run upstairs after about an hour to go take a shower.

"Oh of course you wouldn't complain," Sirius joked. "Every night now you can come home and-"

"Sirius," Remus called from his seat on the other armchair. "There are children present." He pointed to Teddy, who was sitting contentedly on his lap and playing with action figures of some muggle superheroes. 

"Whatever _mom_ ," Sirius grumbled. "Hey you've been kinda quiet actually. You got any plans for the year?"

"Not at the moment," Remus said. "McGonagall offered me the Defense Against the Dark Arts position for next year, so I'll think about that. In the meantime I've got a kid that I'd like to take care of." He smiled at Teddy and moved him closer into his arms.

James felt an ache in his heart whenever he saw Remus play with his son. It made him think of all the years he'd missed with Harry. All those years he'd never get back, no matter how hard he tried. That was why he was taing a year off from Quidditch; to be with his son. 

"Hey," Dora called as she entered the room. Her hair was still damp from the shower she'd taken. "What's for dinner?" 

"Mommy!" Teddy squealed from his father's lap. 

James felt another ache as Dora walked over to her son with a smile and picked him up. And by the way that he felt Lily squeeze his side, he figured that he wasn't alone. 

"I think we collectively forgot about dinner," Sirius said, making no other effort to actually get dinner ready. "Whoops."

"You guys haven't had dinner yet?" Harry's voice startled James, though not in a bad way. He and Regulus had just gotten home from the Ministry. "C'mon, I had to work _late_ and you haven't eaten? Teddy's bedtime is in like, 30 minutes."

"He'll survive," Dora mumbled.

Harry seemed to let the subject go as he put his bag down and walked over to the couch where James and Lily were seated. He dropped down next to James and immediately put his head on his shoulder. The small gesture made James' heart soar higher than he'd ever flown on a broom.

"Hi," James greeted his son. "How was work?"

"Exhausting," Harry groaned. "There are too many small pieces to glue back together in recovery. I don't think we'll be finished until early next year." He shifted in his seat to look at both James and Lily. "How's the house going?"

James exchanged a look with his wife. Since he didn't have a job to go to, he was the one overseeing the reconstruction of their house Godric's Hollow. More specifically, getting the gaping hole in Harry's old room patched up. In the meantime, they'd taken a room at Grimmuald Place. 

"It's going well," James said. "Should be done by early November."

"Speaking of which-" Harry sat up. "-Anyone have plans for Halloween? It's in less than a week."

The room fell silent. James hadn't celebrated Halloween since...

"Harry," Sirius sat up, nearly knocking Regulus from his perch on one of the arms on the chair. "Halloween?"

"Oh, come on guys," Harry laughed. "I'm not stupid. But I don't know if you've noticed-" He made a wide gesture to James and Lily. "-We aren't exactly missing anyone this year."

James thought about it for a moment. This _would_ be a good way to make up for at least _some_ of the time they'd lost...

"I'm not saying we have to go trick-or-treating, though Teddy usually ends up going with Andromeda," Harry continued, "But this would be the first Halloween where I don't end up feeling like utter crap; I'd like to do _something_." 

"We could have a party," Lily spoke up. "Something for the Order, maybe?"

"Yeah!" Harry exclaimed. "A party!"

"We could do a party," Sirius agreed. "But only if I get to dress up."

"You'll get to dress up, Sirius," Remus said.

"Then I'm in. James?"

James looked up at Sirius, then at everyone else in the room. When his eyes landed on Harry, he could see exactly how much this holiday meant to the both of them. Reclaiming it with a party would be... perfect. He smiled, "Yeah, I'm in."

"Party, it is!" Harry whooped. 

"Beatles or bust, lads," James said. 

"Is Regulus gonna be George Harrison?" Sirius asked. "I think he'd do better as McCartney."

"Nah," Regulus spoke up. "Ringo or nothing."

"But I'm Ringo-" James protested

"Can we plan costumes after we've made dinner?" Remus asked. "I'm starving."

"Okay-" James stood up abruptly, prompting a disgruntled noise from his wife. "-Anyone who didn't go to a job today has to make dinner. Children under five excluded, of course."

"Fine by me," Sirius said. He rolled off of the armchair and onto the floor before getting onto his feet. 

"Don't blow anything up," Dora joked.

"We'll try our best," Remus said.

James ushered Sirus and Remus into the kitchen, where they began to make dinner. James laughed as Sirius managed to spill water on every surface he could reach, and some that he couldn't. He yelped every time that Remus pretended to threaten him with the tongs when he got too close to the frying pan. He enjoyed his friends' company with nothing hanging over them for the first time in two decades; and the joy he felt was immesurable. And when dinner was ready and out on the table, James enjoyed the company of his family with nothing to worry about other than what he was going to be for Halloween. It was as if his life had finally been put back together,

Piece

By

Piece.

He couldn't ask for anything more.

\------------------------------------THE END-----------------------------------

**A/N:**

**Hello!**

**So this is it. This is where our story ends. I wanted to start off by saying how much I thoroughly enjoyed writing this story both for myself and for all of you. It was truly a highlight of my week.**

**Obviously I couldn't have gotten this far without all of your incredible support. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all of your comments, questions, votes, shares, and everything that you've done for me and this story. It means the world to me.**

**I don't know if/when I'll be writing more; but when I do, you'll know. Those who follow me will see an announcement. We'll see what happens. In the meantime, stay cool, dear readers; and happy reading. I love you guys.**

**Best,**

**the_fandom_bookworm**


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